SPRING UPDATE

2013

TEXASIn March & April I was blessed with the opportunity to return home to the Lone Star state for some much needed rest and a chance to do some support raising as well. It was so great to connect with friends, family and supporters and have the freedom to spend time with many of you individually.

During this time, I was able to speak in some small groups and bible studies to share on a more personal level what it is that I am doing here in Herrnhut. I even had the privilege of sharing my testimony along side my mom & grandmother, something that we have never done before.

As a missionary living abroad full time, staying connected is so crucial and since I don't have a sending church, times like these are incredibly life giving. Thank you to everyone who helped me get connected and provided me opportunities to share myself with others, I truly appreciate it!

While the focus of my trip was not leisure, I did have great opportunities for rest and a little bit of fun as well. I spent lots of good quality time with my sisters, something I needed so badly.. . they are the best!

Laughter was abundant and so was excitement as we were able to celebrate together the news that Jordan (my middle sister) is expecting baby #2!! I soaked up every moment I could with my nephew, Caiden, and am so excited to meet new baby when the time comes.

And a trip to Texas would not be complete for me without a visit (or two) to the hill country. I had an amazing/ life giving/ heart changing time reconnecting with college friends, celebrated in joy with

a beloved college roommate as she said 'I Do' (Oh, hey Mrs. Lingamfelter!!) and even got to see what God has been doing in the college ministry that loved me so well during my time in university. I had ample time to fill up on quality time and deep conversation with people that I love so very much.

The longer I spend time away the more truth I find in that old saying: You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can never take the Texas out of the girl.

MINISTRY

I can't believe it, but it has been 8 months since I started my journey as staff with YWAM Herrnhut. Like any job, particularly ones that involve a major move, it takes a little while to get your bearings and fully adjust to a brand new life. It has been a crazy 8 months but I finally feel like I am hitting my stride.

My time at home in Texas was a much needed refresher and rejuvenator for my soul. God It also helped give me the kickstart I needed to get back into thinking creatively. Since my return, I have been busy working on a painting as well as dreaming of some new ways to incorporate my graphic design with fine art media. I have also been working with one of the other members of Pick A Pocket, the arts ministry I am involved with, designing for a t-shirt company he is starting. (As soon as it is ready to launch I will let you guys see what we are working on... you are going to love it!) That has been very challenging, but it's a chance for me to learn and grow in the artistic areas that I am not as comfortable with.

Things are in full swing at ['viltnis] cafe as the spring is rolling in. We are starting to experience more local traffic, repeat customers and more staff are joining our barista team. Pick A Pocket welcomed in 13 new staff in April and many of them have returned with the intent of working specifically with the cafe. We have many plans for this summer to remodel our small space to work better for the needs of our customers, so we are going to need all hands on deck!

I, along with my friend Ruth, also have the honor of curating the small gallery that is attached to the cafe. This was my main reason for joining Pick A Pocket and I am loving every second of what I am able to do. We have had amazing response from the public to the first two shows that we have hosted., which consisted of work made by the students from the last Marriage of the Arts DTS we had in September.

One of the perks of working so much in the cafe is that I get to interact with the people

that come in and view the gallery as well. A month or so ago I had the privilege of praying with a woman that had a strong encounter with God while taking in one of the works we had on display. She only spoke a tiny bit of english and I have very limited german skills, but God is bigger and he used that prayer to heal her of a 30year depression! God is moving here in a big way and we are excited to see what he has in store for the coming year.

The last thing I am really excited to share with you will be happening this fall. Another ministry at our base called Hope Dies Last, is hosting a huge conference on human trafficking & sexual exploitation in Hamburg this November. As part of the conference they want to have a gallery with work revolving around the topic set up in the venue and they have asked me to curate it! I am so flattered to have this opportunity and challenged by the level of polish & planning this is going to require to be ready for a conference of this caliber.

UP NEXT

When I came back from Texas, I felt that God was telling me that the rest of this year would be full of opportunities for outreaches and that I should keep my schedule open. Just one week after returning, He opened up a way for me to not only go on a short outreach but to return to Macedonia! I, along with one other girl from Pick A Pocket, will be making the journey from Herrnhut to Ohrid, Macedonia to attend the 24-7 Prayer Balkan Connect conference June 14-16. It will be a great chance for me to connect with old friends and see how I can get more invovled with what is happening there. I am so excited to see what God has planned for this trip and what kind of ministry will be waiting for us in this time.

In August I will be heading to Norway for a friends wedding and then to Scotland for Pick A Pockets 5 year anniversary retreat! November will be the Object conference hosted by Hope Dies Last in Hamburg, so I imagine the fall will be spent doing lots of preparation for that.

Aside from outreaches, I am really hoping to stretch myself and grow in my art. I have been dreaming of some ideas that are entirely new areas of creativity for me, but I see the big picture and I am excited to begin working and see what happens.

INVES

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I met Kristijan on my first trip to Macedonia in 2008. He is a young man completely on fire for God and is commited to seeing the people of Macedonia transformed by the gospel. In the recent weeks he and his soon-to-be wife, Cassie Sioux, have comitted to also live a support based lifestyle to able them to be ministering to people on a full time basis.

Treg and I met in Herrnhut during our DTS. Aside from being a fellow Texan and one of my closest friends, he is also an extremely talented musician. I have had the pleasure of doing lots of ministry with Treg, and I can say with full confidence that he is well on his way to changing the nations with his tallent.

Aside from supporting individuals, I have also felt strongly to be a financial support to the gallery that I help currate. I have seen so much come out of this humble space in the few months we have been open and I know that God has so much more in store. At the moment we have no support for the gallery specifically and I want to help get that ball rolling.so

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SUPPORTOver the last few months, I have really been on a path to understand what it means to live by support. That is, being fully reliant on the generosity and backing of others and God for my every need. I have made many mistakes in this area in the past and God has really been challenging me to be diligent in pursuing a healthy approach and changing what needs to be changed.

As I have been learning and growing I have seen some major areas of weakness. The biggest of these is how I view the term 'being supported'. For the last year or so I have been seeking and desiring a web of financial supporters that would help fund me and the ministry that God has called me to here. In doing this though, I

was always operating in the mentality of asking for only enough to get by. I can live comfortably on very little, so in my head, that was the goal for my support. But what I have found is that in doing so, I have forced myself to live in a place of much compromise. A 'pay rent, eat later' kind of place.

A friend of mine is extremely gifted in understanding what biblical support raising/funding looks like and I have spent some time with her talking about this. She pointed out to me that if we live in 'the land of just enough' our ministry suffers because we are not able to operate thinking outwardly... we are always making sure that we can take care of our obligations first and never challenged to think about what to do with our abundance because there is none.

After taking time to seek God, asking him how he wants me to live and spending lots of time with my financially brained friend, understanding the ins and outs of biblical support raising, this is what I have found:

WHERE I AM:

$ 1,900- 2,200 (1,475- 1,700 euro) - committed monthly support

I am looking for individuals or even groups to support me on a monthly basis. It could be general support or even pointed support that is designated for a particular area of need. (i.e- art supplies, plane tickets, outreaches etc) Would you consider taking a moment consider/pray about supporting me in this way?

WHAT THIS AFFORDS ME:• The ability to honor my necessary monthly payments (rent, visa insurance etc.)• The ability to support 2 other missionaries monthly• Freedom to be creative without hindrance and honor my ministry as an artist with new work on a regular basis• Freedom to go on outreaches, ministry conferences or even just out of town for a weekend to explore this beautiful country I live in• The opportunity to live in 'the land of plenty'

$350 - 400 (270- 310 euro) - committed monthly support

WHAT THIS AFFORDS ME:• The ability to pay my rent (210 euros)• My visa insurance and other fees (40-60 euros)• A few basic groceries

WHAT THIS DENIES ME:• The ability to support other missionaries, invest in my ministry or tithe• Art supplies or the ability to move forward with the art necessary for my ministry• The ability to go on outreaches, to ministry conferences• A chance to save for future plans

WHERE I WANT TO BE:

WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR:

Thank you for taking the time to read my update! I appreciate you investing in me and my journey in missions. If you have any questions or would like to know more about supporting me financially/prayerfully, then let's connect over email!

I love to hear from all of you!

- ASHLEY DAVIS

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