Grandma dancing at one of our shows at Sagkeeng Reservation

To those of you who faithfully follow my blog, I apologize for never updating. I am currently in Fargo, ND where we have just about finished the first week of our tour. (Impact World Tour)  Our team has been going through some of Joyce Meyers teachings and it has really been impacting me and my heart.  Our time ministering in Canada was such a good experience for me.  We spent some of our time tent camping at a First Nations Reserve.  The pastors of the reserve told us that they had a lot of problems with suicide, alcoholism, drugs, and depression.  As our group went in and built relationships with the people God began to breakdown strongholds in the their lives.  The people there had stopped using the cultural dances and music of the land to worship God.  As our team of Pacific Islanders began to show how they worshipped through their cultures and dances it stirred the hearts of the people. 

Attempting to help with the food at one of our shows

One night at our show, "grandma" came up and did a dance from her people, she than asked that if the next night if she could wear her full outfit and do the dance again.  So at the next show "grandma" came, in her full First Nation attire.  When the time came she began to dance in front of her people.  Slowly one by one, several people came forward and joined in the dance.  They no longer wanted their cultural expressions to be silenced! It was an amazing and humbling site to see as it unfolded before me.  This is just one of many stories I have from my time in Canada. People are being set free daily and I am so humbled that God has used me to be a part of His work.  I continue to help Tavita with his schoolwork, but I am part of so much more than just that.  Please continue to pray as we are making our way through this tour in Fargo.  Pray that many people will experience the same freedom that we have in Christ.  And that through our work as a team, lives would be eternally changed.  I am continually blessed by the prayers and financial support I receive.

I can't thank you enough for the support you have given to me.  I am still in need of finances for our Scotland tour in October.  If you feel led you can donate through my pay pal or through HMC.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.  I am really looking forward to seeing many of you on my visit home in October.  I would also love to hear from you all as well.  Blessings on all of you!
Ashley Phipps

After a church service in Canada

So sorry for being the worst blogger ever.  A quick update on my where abouts.....I flew out of Hawaii about a week ago and have been in Minnesota since.  Tomorrow morning myself and the team will be driving from Minneapolis to Winnipeg Canada, about a 7 hour drive I think.  We will be in Canada until September 15th, and from their we head to Fargo, North Dakota.  October 4th I will be flying into Hartville for 2 weeks to be with family and friends, and join up with our team for some shows when they come on October 10th.
While I have neglected blogging, things have been going great.  Tavita and I started school again yesterday so two days in and things are going good. It is a bit different doing school since we are on the road and not in Hawaii.  But I like being on the road, keeps me busy and there are always people to meet and things to do.  I am in need of quite a bit of financial help right now, due to having added grounds fees and airline costs.  So if you could pray and see if God would have you support me it would be greatly appreciated.  Please continue to pray for our team. Pray for traveling mercies, good health, and for our team to be united and shows Jesus' love to the people we encounter.  We are expecting great things to happen but we need your prayers to help us in our work.  If you would like to donate financially you can donate through my paypal (link at top of my blog) or make checks out to Hartville Mennonite Church, with a note attached designating funds go towards Ashley Phipps Missions Fund.  Either mail it to the church or put it in the church offering.  Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement.  You are such a blessing!  God Bless.

Greetings from Alaska!  I know it has been a long time since I have updated my blog or sent an update. There has not been good internet/phone service so I apologize for the delay.  I am just finishing up my 4 week outreach here in Alaska.  Our first week here our team helped staff a camp in a Native American village called Alaska Ablaze.  We did worship services, a basketball camp and other activities every day for the kids.  And also fed the people 3 meals a day, and held a time of ministry each night for the people.  It was a great time for me to serve others and build relationships with the people in the village.  After serving at the camp our team has been traveling throughout Alaska performing our show.  They have performed the show around 10 times now in several different cities.  I am now in Valdez, Alaska, and not to brag but it is BEAUTIFUL!  I will be flying out of Alaska August 9th to head back to Hawaii.  Than August 18th I will fly to Minneapolis, and from their we will drive to Manitoba, Canada. We will be spending a month in Manitoba, and than drive to Fargo, ND for about 3 weeks.  Than we fly to Hartville, and from their we will go to Scotland for about a month outreach.  As you can tell, I have a busy schedule ahead of me.  Because of this the prices of airfare, grounds, and food I will be in need of more finances for our upcoming tours.  I have been so blessed with the support financially and through prayers that I have received the past 4 months, and can not believe how much God has blessed me.  I am in need of finances to cover my airfares for the next couple of months and also ground travel and food costs.  I have set up a paypal account that you can access through my blog (ashleymphipps.blogspot.com) or you can put an offering in at the church.  Please be in prayer for my upcoming tour and if God leads you to support me financially.  God has been doing amazing things in my life, and just writing on paper can not even begin to explain what He has done!  I thank God constantly for His faithfulness, and for the faithfulness you have all shown to me and my missions work.  I would not be where I am now without your support and prayers.  You all mean so much to me!  Please feel free to ask any questions you may have, or even just to say hello.  I miss hearing from home, and would love to tell you all more about what I have been doing.  Thank you again for all of your prayers and support, and may God bless each of you!
Ashley Phipps

Its been quite a while since I last blogged.  I was convinced no one read my blog, but you all have convinced me otherwise.  I can't believe I have already been in Hawaii almost three months! It has been a great time so far, and I am learning everyday more of why God has placed me here for this time.  On Saturday I fly off to Oahu with two other Island Breeze girls.  We will spend 5 days in Oahu just relaxing and hanging out.  Than on the 13th of July we will fly to Alaska for 3 weeks.  We will be spending one week in a Native American village, helping them run a youth camp.  We are going to try to do a basketball camp (something I think I'll enjoy!) and than in the evenings we will have worship, skits, dances, testimonies, and a time of sharing.  I am very excited to be able to go out and do more full time ministry.  We will spend our other 2 weeks touring different areas of Alaska, and doing programs in churches and other venues.  I will fly back to Hawaii August 8th.  We will than have 2 or 3 weeks of a bootcamp for our upcoming tour.  Than at the end of August we will fly to the mainland! (Hallelujah!) We will spend a week or two in Manitoba, Canada, and than we will spend 3-4 weeks in North Dakota.  Than its to HARTVILLE for a little over a week in October.  After Hartville, we will fly out to Scotland for the remainder of our tour.  I am so excited to be able to tour with Island Breeze and serve in whatever ways they need me.  Like always I miss all of you at home but yet am so thankful that God has given me the responsibility of what I am doing now. Some prayer concerns for our team in Alaska would be for safe travels, good health and team unity.  Some of the places we are going have a lot of alcohol and drug abuse problems, so prayer against that would be great as well.  We want to show Gods love by our actions and show that its not just about knowing God, but actually having a relationship with Him.  Thank you again for all of your support and prayers.  I would not be able to do this without each and everyone of you.  I pray God blesses you and your families for the faithfulness you have shown.  Blessings to you all!

     Sorry I have been a bad "blogger" recently.  I was reminded the other day by a friend that I needed to update my blog, so I will try to do so, without making it too lengthy.  So much has gone on, I'm not really even sure where to start.  As I mentioned earlier I was counseling a camp in Kohala for kids 8-13.  Camp was probably the most frustrating but yet my greatest experience since being here in Hawaii.  When you have young kids doing multiple activities with no rest everyday for a week, they get tired and cranky quite easily.  It was frustrating to try encouraging the campers to keep going, when they had no desire to do so.  I quickly realized at the beginning of camp what a struggle it was going to be.  The only thing I could do was pray and ask God to fill me with His strength and joy.  God works in awesome ways.  I was filled with so much energy and joy, it could only be credited to God.  Camp ended up being a ton of fun for me and the kids.
     I ended up staffing another camp the next week of 13-16 year olds.  It was much more laid back, and easier to relate to the campers for that camp.  On the last night the campers were asked to write on paper something they would like to lay at the foot of the cross.  The staff than did a re-enactment of the crucifixion of Jesus.  After the drama the campers were asked to lay their papers at the foot of the cross.  It was such a powerful time for each of the kids.  As they sat at the foot of the cross you could see God working on their hearts, and life change beginning to happen.  I was able to pray for several kids, and it was a great experience.  It is so encouraging to see the younger generation on fire for God.
     Being able to minister to the campers was a great experience for me.   I was also able to meet several new friends on the staff at camp.  Many of them will also be going to Alaska, so it was great to be able to get to know them as well.  God has blessed me during my time in Hawaii with so many friends.  As our Alaska trip is drawing closer I'm getting pretty excited.  I'm ready for new experiences and more ministry opportunities.  I hope all is well wherever you may be.  Miss you all, and love you too!

Hi people of Ohio I'm sorry we did not have our blog, I went to my friends.  Well Ashley misses you guys, she cries all day for you. Well lets stop taking about us lets talk about you guys . Do you see that donation button?  Please give Ashley some money. She needs it, because she is running out.  -Tavita
-I'm not sure how Tavita even knows I have a donation button, but I want you to know I said nothing about him commercializing my donations! Maybe it has something to do with me saying I could not buy him drinks all the time because I wasn't made of money ! :)  Here is a video he made for this week, he even sang since my mom requested that he sing for her!  Well, the video isn't uploading now, but I will try to get it up later today.

   First and most importantly, I want to say Happy Birthday to my beautiful niece, Haley who turns 1 year old today!  I can't ask for a better gift than her.  From the first time I held her she has been a blessing to me and our family.  She is beautiful and I can't wait to see the person she grows to be.  I wish I could be there to help celebrate the big day, but obviously I can't.  Happy Birthday Haley, I love you!

Things are going pretty good out here in Hawaii. It is hard to believe that I have already been here for 6 weeks, and that in less than two months I will be heading to Alaska for three weeks!  I know I am where God wants me right now, but I also can't deny that I miss my family and friends from home very much!  Next week I will be assisting at a youth camp, by being a counselor.  So no school for Tavita, and I get to have fun the whole week to! 
     Last night we had a Bible Study and we studied Genesis 1-3.  So often when we study creation we focus on the scientific facts and details.  While it is not wrong to study these details, we must also remember to pull out life applications first from the scriptures.  Our lives are greatly affected by what we believe about creation.  On each day of creation God concluded the day by saying, "It is good."  With all of creation God spoke each creation into existence.  But when God created man, He did not just speak man into existence.  God took the dust of the earth, and formed man from the dust of the earth.  He than breathed into man the breath of life.  The air that God breathed became the air that man would live on. (Genesis 2:7)  God took His time creating man, making us exactly as we ought to be.  We are no mistake.  Genesis 1:27 says that we are created in Gods image.  How does this statement effect our lives? By being created in God's image it means that we physcially look as God does.  If you were presented with a paper towel and a ten dollar bill, which would you want? Of course we would want the money, because it has value.  It has value because the government has placed seals on the money that say it has worth.  In the same way, when God created man, He placed His seal on man.  He claimed us, and by His seal it means we have value and worth.  Many religions have statues for the gods they worship.  (Hindus, Buddhists, etc.) If Christians were to create a statue of God what would it look like?  Since man is created in Gods image, man would be a perfect representation of a statue of God.  By stating this, we must observe our own lives. If people were to view us as statues of God, would we be representing God as He would want us to?  When we claim that we are Christians, there must be an obvious life change between us and the rest of the world.  While it is sometimes hard, God has called us to represent His image to the world.  This is a huge responsibility to our lives.  God has a plan and calling on each of our lives, but we can not begin to move in that direction until we start to strive to show the image of God to those around us.

I guess I have been on a mind block the last week and have had nothing to write about.  But, today I thought of something blog worthy.  Last week I started volunteering with work duties for the PRCS.  (Principles of Redeeming Cultures School) PRCS is the school that Island Breeze is helping to staff here on the YWAM Base. So I have been going down a few days a week and helping with grounds crew stuff.  Mowing, weed whacking, trimming trees, etc.  So at the beginning of each day the group gives a praise report.  Sometimes there are healings, and sometimes its something as simple as, they got to do something fun in class.  Yesterday I was thinking of my praises of the day. For me it was getting done with teaching Tavita around lunch time, and going out to ice cream with him.  While some people may not think of this as a "praise report" I realized that rejoicing in the small things is just as important as rejoicing in the big things.

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus." 

Instead of dwelling on the bad of everyday life, which is so easy to do. Take some time to think on the good things.  No matter how small, we should still rejoice over them.  Whether its getting out of class early, or God healing a sprained ankle, ALL things are worthy of praise.  What is your praise report today?

 Sorry we didn't get this out on Thursday. The blog site was down so we are posting today!

 Tavitas post-
People of Ohio this is a verse I memorized. "And hope will never let us down . God has poured his love into are our hearts .He did it through  the Holy Spirit whom he has given to us." Romens 5:5.  Ashley taught me the blues this week, here is a video of us playing.

We made a video for Tavita Thursday this week instead of a post.......

      Matthew 19:14  Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
    God has placed on my heart a passion for the youth of the world.  The night before I left for Hawaii Kath Hershberger came over with Jeremiah to give me something to deliver to Tavita. Kath prayed for me, and something she kept praying was that me and Tavita would develop a great bond of friendship with eachother.  That I would not just be the disciplinary teacher but that we could become friends, and as close as siblings.  I feel that has already began to happen.  We do schoolwork in the day, but we also go and play basketball or play video games and watch movies when we are out of school. One of my worries before coming was that I wouldn't be able to teach him, or that he wouldn't listen or respect my teaching.  But that has not happened at all, and I thank God for that!
      When Jesus speaks of letting the little children come to Him, we can take it literally as in the kids approaching Him as they did that day in the Bible.  Or we can also take the time to view it figuratively.  What if He is talking of those who are unbelievers, or who are very young in their Christian walks. How often do these people come to us and ask for help with their life, or about spiritual things in life.   Maybe we don't have the answers to the complicated questions.  I remember flying home from Europe a few years ago and sitting next to a science professor from a University.  When I shared with her that I was doing missions there in Europe she began to ask me the questions that are not so easy to answer. "How do you know there is a God" "If God is an all loving God, than why does He let bad things happen" "How do you know He created the world" "How do you know that the Bible is actually inspired by God, and not just another book" I remember trying my best to answer her questions, but felt horrible for not knowing my Bible better, and remembering what I had learned in church and school about defending my faith.  Some of us need to study the Bible and answer these questions for ourselves, so that when we are faced with trials, we can defend our faith.  We as Christians hold the keys to eternity.  By not giving them the "food" they are hungry for, we are holding them from heaven.  We need to invest more in the lives of those who are unbelievers or who have questions about eternity.  And to invest in them, we need to study the Bible first.  Our time on earth is short, and when I get to heaven I want to be able to tell God that I did all I could while on earth to proclaim His gospel to those I came in contact with.

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.

    So that is my challenge to myself and to you all this week.  I miss you all, and would love to here from any of you! I feel so encouraged when someone leaves a comment, or facebook post, or even better a phone call or text! If you would like an address for where I am staying let me know and I can give you that as well! Love you all. Also - I set up a paypal account so that you can give online now.  Just use my e-mail, Phipps023@sbcglobal.net, and mark that is is being given as a gift.  It will probably say Cheryl Phipps instead of my name, but its ok!  Blessings to you all..

 So today starts what we will now be calling Tavita Thursdays.  Every Thursday for language arts Tavita will write a blog about what he is learning or doing here in Hawaii. So for today I think I should send out a little warning.  They are going to have pig for a birthday party tomorrow, so for science we went and watched how they kill and prepare the pigs.  I may even add a video or some photos, but nothing to gruesome. If you like pigs.....than don't read further. For all of you who watch "Hogs Gone Wild" the guy working on the pig in the video is Andrew West from Australia.

Ashley is really good at basketball, she bate a lot of the guys and she made a half court shot. I was amazed that she bate them .She is a cool teacher actually shes like the best teacher I have had in a long time.PE is awesome alot of the times we play basketball and I dont know why.So how is it in OHIO?Today for science we killed a pig. It was a mom and dad pig and we shot it . We are going to eat it at a party. I got to skin it Ashley did too, she is brave. (Actually I didn't skin the pig, just Tavita!) God is performing miracles.  Like this one time, a guy was on a ladder, but he got stuck on the roof, because the ladder fell down.  He jumped to the ground and tried to roll, but it didn't work.  So he broke his legs and he was stuck on a wheelchair.  He came to one of our performances and Cincinatti, Ohio, and we prayed for him.  And he was walking again.  What a miracle!!! God bless you all, Tavita and Ashley.

Just a quick note, I have had several people say that they can't comment on my posts. What you need to do is....Click the comment button at the end of my post, than in the white box you can leave your comment, but underneath that box is a little box that says "comment as" select the pull down menu in that box and select, "anonymous" and that will allow you to leave a comment!  Also, since no one got the fruits right yet, I will extend the competition until one person can get them all right. If you guessed already, go ahead and guess again! Hope that helps for some of you! Miss you all!

So, after a week here in Hawaii I have thought of a good blog idea! (With the help of Olepa too!) This will hopefully get some more blog posters as well, but we will see. But....before we get to that I will give you an update of whats been going on.  Tomorrow will be my first full week of teaching Tavita since I arrived here in Hawaii.  School has been going well, or at least it goes well until lunch time.  It seems that after lunch time the attention span goes down 90%, but at least we get most of our work done before lunch!  If any of you have the answer to...."school is so boring why do I have to do it?" please let me know, because my answers just aren't cutting it!  I am getting a daily review of my education as well.  I have had to review my cursive writing and math almost every day!  I told Tavita today that for language arts he will have to write a section of my blog once a week, so be prepared to hear his opinions of school and island life coming soon.  Other than teaching I have been around the YWAM base trying to meet new people (which I have met more people than I can remember!) I started running the other day but not very far, the base is up on a hill, so however far down the hill I run; I have to run up the hill just as far! I believe I am definetely where God wants me to be, and can't wait to see what He has in store for me in the near future.  It is so awesome to do devotions in the morning outside with Gods beautiful creation all around.  Although it is hard to be away from family, there is no better place to be than in the Fathers will! Well that about sums up my week, now to the good stuff.  Below I will post a picture of some fruits from Hawaii, your job is to correctly guess each fruit.  The glass in the picture has a golf ball on top of it, so that gives you an idea of the size of each of the fruits.  You have until Saturday evening at 9 pm Eastern Time to submit your answers.  All those who get each fruit right will get their name in the drawing, and Tavita will draw the winner on Saturday evening. The winner will receive....well something special, but I'm keeping that a secret.  So, tell your friends, repost this on facebook, and submit your answers either to my facebook or comment on here! Make sure to include your name as well.  God Bless!

From left to right (do not include the fruit Olepa is holding!) And the two green fruits on the end are the same fruit.

Greetings from Hawaii! I had a long day of travel yesterday but finally arrived last night.  Not to rub it in or anything, but it is awfully nice weather here!  I just wanted to thank everyone who texted or sent messages of prayer and encouragement yesterday.  It was such a blessing to know what a covering of prayer was over me as I traveled. I have been blessed with awesome family and friends who have always been supportive of me, and I thank you all for that!  I also thank you for the financial support I have been blessed with as well.  I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of giving from all of you.  Through your giving God has confirmed to me that I am following His will for my life right now.  He made the way so clear and has been providing for me since day one.  You all are awesome, and I can't thank you enough for what you have been sowing into my life.  Know that without each of you, none of this would be possible! You are just as important in the ministry as I am!  I pray you are well, and that God reveals His love to you in new and more powerful ways everyday.  I hope to be updating more often now that the ball is rolling. Would love to hear from any of you! God bless!

 I suppose it is time for a new post.  Special thanks to Kelsey Beachy who made the prayer card that I posted on the top.  Shes the best. I will have the cards at Mi Casa and the church for anyone who would like one.   Speaking of Mi Casa..... this Tuesday (April 5th) we are having a fundraiser.  Just come and eat lunch or dinner and let them know you are there for the fundraiser for Ashley Phipps, and a percentage of the payment will go to my missions fund! They are open from 9am-10pm.  I am planning on being there all day as well, so for those who would like to catch me before I go this may be the best time to do it! Not much else new to update you all on though.  I'm still heading out April 13 to Hawaii so that date is quickly approaching.  I also will be going to Alaska for 3 weeks in July, to help with a camp for the natives there.  Things are starting to come together, but I wish the time could slow down just a bit! I love you all and hope to see you before I head off! Blessings.

So, I am definetely not a blogger but I'm going to attempt.  As most of you know I will be moving April 13th to serve with Island Breeze.  Ever since I was in junior high I have felt God calling me to go to the nations.  I feel He has prepared me with everything I need to effectively go out, and He has confirmed that NOW is the time. To answer several common questions I have been asked, I am providing you with this first blog post.  So here is my FAQ blog.

1. Who is Island Breeze/What do they do?
 - Island Breeze is a ministry of YWAM (Youth With A Mission) They travel the world presenting the gospel through the cultural dancing and music of the Pacific Islands.  They are based out of Kona, Hawaii but travel the United States and internationally the majority of the year.

2.  What will you be doing with Island Breeze?
 - The leaders of Island Breeze have a 9 year old son who travels and performs with the group.  They homeschool him while traveling. My main focus will be teaching him while we are on the road and in Hawaii. At some point I may take part of the shows by playing piano, guitar or bass, but thats to be determined!

3.  How long will I be serving?
-  This is still to be determined. I have purchased a one-way ticket to Hawaii, with no specific date of return.  I have been and will continue to be in prayer about this, but I anticipate serving long term with Island Breeze as the Lord allows.

4.  Where else will you be going?
- While a lot of the tour is still being determined I know of a few places that I will potentially be traveling to.  These places include: Alaska, Scotland, Korea, and the Phillipines, and also some places within the USA.  I am not sure when I will be going to each location but will know more as time goes on (Hopefully!)

If you have other questions feel free to ask.  Or you can critique my amateur blog attempt. As I go out I will update with more insightful information hopefully. I will have to raise all of my own support for travel and living expenses.  If you are interested in supporting me financially you can send checks made out to Hartville Mennonite Church to PO Box 727 Hartville, OH 44632. Attach a note designating funds be put towards Ashley Phipps missions funds.  The biggest support you can give is your prayers! I thank each of you for the prayer you have already covered me in, and for the guidance you have given me thus far.  I pray you are all well and to hear from you soon! God Bless.