this week

this week as a team we are fasting in several different ways, one of them being from electronics. so although this blog is partly for my own good in the theraputic sense haha i will be taking a break this week which will hopefully also be for my own good!

this week if you could pray for:

- patience since i am moving to the other slum to work in the preschool a lot more and do a lot more homevisits as well. we switch every week,half goes to one slum half the other

-protection from disease and bug bites.

-forthe lord to soften my heart towards indian men bc i struggle with anger after seeing the hurt of these women

-strengtth to make it through this fast!!

day six

wehave had no power at the house here for quite awhile. they call the power "the current and it goes out everytime it rains and since it is therainy season, that is quite often haha. it isnt bad except the internet nor the fans work so communicating and staying cool are difficult. this morning the five of us girls had worship time on our own and tonight we are going back into the slums to have church with the women there.

this was the lords call to my heart this morning as it is for everyone so i thought i would share:

open up your heart, i am bursting with love for you

open up your heart i am longing for you

look my way my love

look my way child

its gonna be wild, its gonna be great, its gonna be full of me

open up your heart i am aching to be close to you

day four

sleep does unbelievable things! today was so much better just because i slept through the night for the first time, only woke up once. the bus this morning wasnt as crowded and the bus driver burned incense which was a huge blessing because it covered the smell. preschool in the morning was good, only three of us went because everyone else had to go get checked for a parasite. Please pray protection over my body from parasites and disease! at the clinic today children kept bringing their cups but we had no milk to give out, it broke my heart. I took some pictures of the children and will try to upload them later, many of them have no teeth because they have rotted out already. but they are so happy and love getting their picture taken and seeing what they look like. During lunch we could hear the muslim call to worship from the mosque next to the flat where we are stationed, islam and hinduism are practiced everywhere in India. Then we had women's english class and the women's nutrition class. we talked to them about washing hands, which is something that they do not practice in india. they do not have toilet paper here so the left hand is considered unclean because it is the toilet hand. but spread of disease in inevitable and most diseases are spread fecal to oral from the children because they touch everything and everyone and no one washes their hands. sorry for the overload on information but since ive learned all this today i have a fear of disease here. Please pray protection over our team! After nutrition class we did home visits, i had never gone that deep into the slums until then. we weaved through mounds of shacks until we could find the people we knew. the first one we went to, i walked in and the heat and smell almost knocked me out. my eyes and throat burned, i do not understand how anyone could live in these conditions. then i looked around the 5 yard x 5 yard shack and was told that ELEVEN people lived here, no bed, no toilet. i dont see how there was even enough room on the floor for eleven people to lay. we did a few more home visits, we asked the women if we could pray for them and just visited for awhile. some of the women we are close to are married to their uncles, that they were married to at anywhere from 1 month old to 8 years old. Prostitution occurs regularly in marriages here, if someone cant pay their bills then someone will pay them for them in trade for the right to sleep with the other man's wife. one woman is currently a CSW (commercial sex worker) and some, we dont know their stories at all. so much more to say but ill finish posting another day, thank you for all the prayers and love!

day 3

Today was my first day in the slums, we had a wonderful day with the children in preschool and nutrition class. we work with them to hopefully keep them in school and learning english so that they can avoid "going into the line" or being prostituted. In nutrition class we give out protien milk and all the little children love weighing themselves on our scale, most are under 30 lbs at age 8. a little boy from pakistan told me i was beautiful which made me smile, and everyone was amazed by my dimples, they had never seen anything like it. after lunch we work with the women, today we had english class and are helping them learn basic english so that they can hopefully get other jobs. we held basic conversation with them after class in english to help them practice while we painted their nails, they loved watching their nails go from white to pink and wanted to show everyone. the bus to and from the slums was something i had never experienced before, there is no such thing as personal space in India. 2 people sit per seat in the bus and then everyone else packs in way beyond and comfortable level and must stand back to back all the way down the center row and stand in the foot room of each person sitting in a seat. it is mass chaos. the jet lagg is still hitting me hard but i hope in a few days it will wear off so i am not so tired when working during the day. But i am amazed by the peace and energy the Lord has given me on little to no sleep, overall it was a great day and so thankful for the kindness and love from the Indian people and friends and family at home.

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in him- 1 John 4: 16

day 1

im in mumbai now for the night. a local pastor came and picked me up to take me from the international airport to the domestic airport and i am now waiting for my 5am fliht to goa. it is 2:15 local time. the flight from new york went surprisingly fast we flew over iceland (i think) and the uk and even a part of russia. not a direct line by any means. we hit a lot of turbulance during the flight which caused panic on our 400passenger, mostly indian flight. i felt like i was on the boat begging jesus to calm the storm. and of course he did. since arrival i have seen some of the slums and city of mumbai on my trip from one airport to the other and many people speak english, the term english beingused in the loosest form. the only internet i have found is on my kindle which has made it a very valuble investment since it is my only connection to anyone right now. i am so thankful for the hedge of protection the lord continues to surround me with as i travel to the other sideof the world. thank you for all the prayers!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the day! If you would like to reach me at all in the next 6 weeks, email is the best way!

ashlynayres@gmail.com

I fly out of atlanta tomorrow at 3:30 and fly out of NYC at 8:30 to arrive in Mumbai on wednesday morning... i lose a day of my life on an airplane. crazy!

thank you for all the emails, cards, texts, phone calls, letters, packages, etc. I am so excited for what india holds and will continue posting once I am there. In addition to this, over 1000 people have read this blog including people from Russia, Chile, the UK, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, and the Virgin Islands. WHOA. I feel so blessed to have so many people take an interest in what God is doing in India. See you on the flip side!

" For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth."
Psalm 71:5

3 days until departure!

The suitcase has come out! I began packing today and if it werent for bringing supplies I would have little to none to pack at all. I have two kurta's which is a long indian shirt that i will wear while there with pants until i can buy more indian clothes. The women feel most comfortable when we are wearing the same thing because american clothing can sometimes come across as superior and when working with already suppressed women the last thing I would want to do is come across as superior. Here i am in my new Kurta: attempting to be indian!

The major needs they have as far as supplies have been Sanitary pads, travel size soaps, and underwear for women. We hand out hygiene kits and supplies are running low, these are so important because 60% of disease among these women in the slums is due to bad hygiene and is therefore preventable if we have the supplies for them! I was able to skype with some of the girls in Goa with Rahab's Rope and it has been such a blessing to know who i will be with once I get there!

So far I have not been nervous about the trip, I know as i get closer a little nervousness is only natural but I know that the Lord did not create me to have a heart of fear and he would not send me where He is not already there. Thank you for the continued support as I get closer and closer!

Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe. - Mark 5:36

4 Days until Departure

Well yesterday proved to be an answer to prayer! With a few kinks in the plan needing to be ironed out in order for me to be able to go, my mom and I drove to Gainesville in order to meet with David and Vicki, founders of Rahab's Rope. Our meeting was wonderful and the Lord gave us the peace that was necessary in order to continue towards India.

Now with only 4 days until departure I am left running errands and spending time with my family before leaving for 6 weeks! Its so close I almost cant believe its happening! I have started reading a book called Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof, a must read for anyone with any interest in Human Trafficking- it is both inspiring and eye opening. It makes me excited to go and work with these women and see what the Lord is doing in the mists of this seemingly hopeless tragedy. Please check out the book though, http://www.halftheskymovement.org/

I appreciate all the support I have received through encouraging words, letters, comments, and emails! I could never have imagined how many people would read this blog and send their support and I am in awe, thank you. I am encouraged and excited knowing that the Lord has already gone before me and there is no place or situation I could find myself in that He has not already prepared for me.

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8

10 days until departure

I love the lyrics to this song and it really gives words to what my prayer has been this week. I pray for peace and satisfaction in the Lord alone as i get closer and closer to leaving for India. I want to choose the Lords plan for my life above my own and I want a heart that will be in love with what He loves and will break for what His heart breaks for. Thank you for all the prayers and letters of encouragement, they have helped calm me down and encouraged me!

Let me be in love with what You love
Let me be most satisfied in You
Forsaking what this world has offered me
I choose to be in love with You
I will choose to be in love with You

Let me know the peace that's mine in You
Let me know the joy my heart can sing
For I have nothing Lord apart from You
I choose to call on Christ in me
I will choose to call on Christ in me

For in the fullness of who You are
I can rest in this place
And giving over this, my journey Lord
I see nothing but Your face

Let me know that You have loved me first
Let me know the weight of my response
For You have long pursued my wandering heart
I choose to glory in Your cross
I will choose to glory in Your cross

I bow down, I bow down
my beloved- here I am
I bow down, I bow down to You...