questions

i get questions, always. i love answering them and am always so excited when people show genuine interest in my move. if you see me, ask me about it! i love talking about the land i love and am always open to answering any questions. 

because i don't get to talk to everyone in person or detail, i figured i would answer a few FAQ while i had a little bit of time. so, here we go. 

where will you be? 
jinja, uganda for the most part. i will be in kampala less frequently but will make a few visits. 

what about college? 
right now, i feel like this is the calling God has placed on my life and i plan to follow Him fully. college can wait. no degree is worth ignoring the calling God has placed on my life and it is always gonna be available to me when i am ready. souls are at stake here. i am going to be a missionary and right now loving and serving His people is my top priority. and it's not every day you get to pack up and live your dream, right? 

why? 
well this is a deep question, but basically from the time i was about 10 uganda has been my heart. from the time i was 13 i have harassed my parents to allow me to go to uganda. when i finally went at 16 my soul knew. uganda is the land i love and i am eager to return. i feel certain that God gives us desires and passions and i am chasing mine right now. 

when do you leave? 
June 6th! i am literally counting down the days (74 left!) until i leave. i am so so excited. 

what will you be doing? 
i will be volunteering at Ekisa (such a dream!) and will be partnering with other ministries as well. i will be loving people, children, and sharing Jesus wherever i go. i basically am going to have the best job in the entire world and i feel crazy blessed to be on this journey. 

are you graduating? 
yes! i will be graduating on may 31 from high school and i'm quite excited. it's a bittersweet feeling for certain, but an exciting one nevertheless. i look forward to the new season of life that is just on the horizon for me after graduation. 

how old are you? 
i'm 18! 

what about safety? 
to be honest, there will be "danger" no matter where you roam, i rest in the promises of Jesus. if my God is for me, who could stand against me? i also use these verses/quotes to encourage myself (and my family)
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. [Joshua 1:9]
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:19]
God never sends you where He hasn't already been. [Max Lucado] 

aren't you scared? 
this is quite a frequent question and if i am being honest, yes sometimes i get a small wave of fear, but it passes as quickly as it comes and i am flooded with peace and promises that only He can provide. i am excited about the future and i cannot wait to see what God does. 

how can i help? 
oh! i'm so glad you asked. 
there are many ways to help and there's a cute little tab at the top of my page that says "help wanted" click on it for some great in depth ideas, but here are a few easy ones that are linked for easy access. you're welcome.
> pray like crazy
> buy one of these tshirts
> join my prayer team
> send one of the donations listed here
> all of the above
above all "money needs", prayer is so much more important. please remember to pray for me, uganda, and the people i will be serving daily. 

if you have any more questions, please feel free to contact me. i would love to hear from you! 

tying you closer than most, 
Ashton 

booked.

yesterday we booked plane tickets to uganda. today we paid for them [ouch]

we you ask? yes. we. my dad and i. my precious dad has decided to travel with me to uganda and drop me off. he wants to make sure i am safe and i want to show him the land i love. it's going to be a sweet, sweet few days and i cannot wait. 

yesterday we finalized dates and finalized some tickets and guess what y'all? 

i'm officially uganda bound in 77 days. SEVENTY SEVEN DAYS. 

so soon! and i am going crazy. like i don't even know what to do with myself. I AM GOING TO UGANDA!!! 
(also, please notice my THREE ! points. i'm an english nerd and my rule is no more than two….if you're really, really excited) 

On June 6 I will board an airplane to the land that i call home. 

and there is so much to be done between now and then. 

i will be going to sea world. i will be swimming with dolphins. i will be graduating high school. have grad parties. savoring the last little bit of high school. oh, yes and planning to pack up and MOVE to a foreign country. 

it's a crazy few months ahead. i'm nervous, i'm excited, i'm anxious, i'm feeling thankful beyond belief, i am so so so ready, but sometimes i'm not. 

so, pray for me please. especially over the next 77 days. 

pray i find peace. pray i find joy and can enjoy the last bit of time in high school with my friends. pray i can prepare. mentally, physically and spiritually. 

i would be so, so thankful for that.

seventy seven days and i'm africa bound. 

ready or not, here i go! 

seek. love. walk.

one of my favorite verses is seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God [micah 6:8] 

i love everything about it. and quite frequently say "seek. love. walk." 

a few months ago the lovely jennifer and i began plotting for a tshirt to help raise funds for my move to uganda. i knew i wanted simple, yet powerful. 

i do a lot of sketching and actually sketched out a map of the world one day [the one on the shirt]. i showed it to jennifer, she worked her magic and my uganda shirt was born. 

the front of the shirt boldly states "seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God" 
that is how i want to serve, justly, mercifully, and humbly.  

100% of the proceeds of this shirt go to helping me serve the people of Uganda and enable me to live out the calling God has placed on my life. 

the shirts are $15 each [they are unisex] and you can order them at underthecarolinamoon.com 

i have been overwhelmed by the support and love i've received since my announcement and am continually thankful. 


you can find me on social media, too
instagram: @ashtonbry
Facebook: Facebook.com/ashtonbry

peace.

throughout the last few months since i announced my whole move-ashton in africa-everything-in-between, it's been quite the journey. many ups, many downs, and quite a few times i've landed right on my face.

see, from the time i was a little girl africa has been on my heart. the needy of the world have always pulled at my heart, even when i was young. homeless people and hungry children always wrecked my tiny being, so trust me when i say this "africa thing" is not out of the blue.

i drove my parents insane for africa for six solid years. finally, they agreed. at sixteen i went to uganda and it wrecked my life. shattered me into pieces and i realized that it was my love.

when i decided it was time for me to go for longer, i began looking. i found ekisa and it was perfect. i applied and honestly never thought they would accept me, but they did.

in the last few months i've struggled with dates, money, and all the technicalness. but recently i've been overcome with such peace. it's been quite amazing, actually. 

some days, i become overwhelmed at the thought of living in a foreign country by my lonesome-sweettea-lovin' self. the idea of being a few planes away from the people i love so much is a lot to take in. and that's only four months away, y'all. 

recently i found the verse and i fell in love with it. it's simple, true and speaks volumes to my heart..

He gives me peace. [john 14:27] 

and He does give me peace. such glorious peace that makes this transition a lot easier than i ever imagined. i still have time to prepare, but time doesn't stop for anyone..and i'm no exception. 

people continually tell me they don't know how i'm doing it and that i'm brave. but i'm not. i'm just a girl. i'm from a small southern town. i've grown up in the same place my entire life and while i've traveled quite a bit, i'm not worthy of this calling. i'm just willing to follow Jesus. and He is leading me down a path that may make me seem brave, but i'm not. 

because He is graceful, i am Brave. 

and it's as simple as that. 

i encourage you to find peace in Jesus. it's unlike anything in this world. the process might be painful, it might be ugly, and it might not be the beautiful fairy tale you imagined, but oh it is worth it. so worth it. 

this new season looms and i don't know what is next, but He does. and He doesn't need me to be ready, because He is ready. He just needs me to be in the here and now and clinging to Him and His goodness. 

and i can do that. and so can you. 

selling beads!

currently selling paper beads from Uganda in order to raise money for my move! 

these beads were handmade by women in Uganda. 

they are absolutely beautiful and come in multiple colors and sizes. 

i have a few bracelets but not near as many as i have necklaces. 

if you would like to see more necklaces, or are interested in ordering them, email me!

ashtonbry[at]yahoo[dot]com 

i'm continually thankful for everyones support in this new season of my life. 

xxx

Ashton 

follow your arrow

all too often i become enthralled with someone else's life. all too often everyone's life but mine seems so much better. they have prettier hair. better bodies. more followers. better writing skills. and i find myself wanting to be just like them.

i want my life to be just as wonderful as theirs appears to be over a fuzzy social media screen, but here's the reality….

i'm not called to live anyones life but my own.

and sometimes, just being honest, that's hard. because sometimes what i feel is my calling doesn't seem to be as cool as some other peoples calling.

lately, i've realized that i might not be the only one with that issue of following in someone else's footsteps.

reading a book about someone who is doing awesome work for God in a certain country might light a fire inside of you and make you want to go do the same thing they're doing! It looks so cool, it's so life changing and you feel like you have to be like them.

as I dig deeper into my bible, i'm finding something come up repeatedly…follow your arrow. and make sure the one you are following is yours.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble | -2 Peter 1:10

basically, God has a beautiful plan for all of our lives! He has plans far greater than ANY we could imagine, we just simply need to open ourselves to Him. allow Him to take up the space in our life. allow Him to lead us to the place He desires for us to be.

and it's hard.

i found a quote the other day that hit home for me pretty hard. it said
"help me to put aside the things that are breaking my heart for the things that break Yours"

if we follow Jesus and truly go after His heart, our desires will be after His. it isn't as easy as it sounds, but it is so rewarding.

There is nothing more beautiful than being in the center of God's will and recently i've been learning that the center of God's will may take you all the way to Uganda or China, but it may take you to your neighbor or your local school.

If God called us all to the same place, we wouldn't be helping nearly the people. Praise God for people who have different callings in life. It makes for a really beautiful world and an awesome gospel.

i simply want this, to Be where my feet are.

simply that.

Be where your feet are.

let that sink in.

Be where your feet are. right here. right now. be a little rooted. dare to grow deeper. love the people who are right here, right where your feet are.

that's my plan. to follow my arrow right where God leads my feet. to grow and love and prosper right where my feet may land.

wherever He takes me, whenever He takes me.

i would encourage you to have the same prayer. don't seek anyone else's happy ending. follow your arrow. follow your feet. follow His calling on your life. it's gonna be beautiful, no matter where He takes you.

and when you finally get there, it's gonna be good. so good.

liliana

sometimes in life we are given moments and experiences that will forever be in our hearts and minds. they will follow you, you will see them in your dreams and they will forever change you. 

two years ago on december 22 i walked into an orphanage with amanda de lange. i was in xian china and although this was not my first time in china, nor an orphanage, it was my first time ever seeing the true side of it. 

the moment we entered that orphanage my heart was broken and my world came crashing down. i got a very very loud wake up call in that moment. and it's not stopped yet. 

see, the moment i walked in to that little room in the orphanage i spotted a baby across the room between two other babies and something inside of me jumped. something inside of me knew. i knew this little girl had to come out. i knew i could not leave her. and sweet amanda agreed and later praised my persistence for this little girl.

i went to the crib, picked up "my" baby and whispered a promise in her ear. as long as i had breath in my body she would never, ever see that orphanage again. it was a promise i kept. 

we left the orphanage, babies in hand and headed to the car. the entire time i take in this tiny, tiny baby's sweetness. Amanda told me i had to choose a name for her. i was so honored. and so i began to debate a name. so much is in a name. and i knew what her name had to be. 

i'm a planner. i love to plan. i love name meanings and i love dreaming of naming my future children. as soon as i thought of it i knew that was her name. her name would be liliana. liliana means God's promise and beauty. how fitting. 

we got back to starfish [the foster home]. bathed and weighed liliana [she was 4lbs 6oz!] and gave her her first full bottle. took some priceless pictures and cherished that little bit of time i got to spend with her. i looked forward to watching her grow through pictures and one day seeing her and loving her again. she was dubbed mine. i was head over heels. 

then, two years ago today i got the news that my liliana had passed away. i was devastated. i found out my liliana had passed away. i sobbed. and sobbed. and sobbed a little more. my heart was broken. broken for the little girl who will never have her family. broken because i will never get to hold her again on this side of heaven. she was my baby. i loved her with every ounce of me and now she was gone. and there was nothing i could have done. 

and then i realized something, she was never mine to begin with. she has always been His. from the moment she was conceived, to her first breath, the day i met her, and to her last breath, she has always been His. He only allowed me a small part in her story. 

there is a reason, i truly believe for liliana's life. she changed my life. she opened my eyes.

my sweet liliana is with jesus and she is whole. her death did not go unnoticed. she is not forgotten. she has been cried for. she is loved. and she is so missed. my sweet liliana is different from 163 million other orphans in this world. many who died today. many will die tomorrow. do you mourn for them like those who mourn for liliana?

we need a wake up call. we need to realize that there are babies just like liliana dying. every.single.day. there are babies who go completely unnoticed. we have to make a difference. we have to wake up. we owe these children that much. God doesn't call us or kindly ask us to care for the orphans…He commands it. 

you were so loved and will be so missed, sweet liliana. i forever will hold you in my heart. 

For everything comes from Him; everything exists by His power and is intended for His glory. To Him be glory evermore. -Romans 11:36