Outreach Outreach Outreach!
This past week has been a pretty big week for me, the deadline for my outreach fees to be in is this upcoming Wednesday! So close! We also had an amazing teaching on spiritual warfare from Peter Warren and it really opened my eyes to fighting in the spiritual for the things in the physical. I really felt a heaviness about my finances this week, and everyday it seemed to get a little worse. I know that the enemy is trying his hardest to bring me down during this time, but i am putting my hope and faith in Jesus to bring this money in! I know that these past few weeks i have been asking for your help in making this outreach possible by supporting me financially, but i would really like for you to lift me up in prayer as well. These next few weeks are going to be some of the most challenging weeks of the whole school for me, and i know that prayer is effective. Prayer for peace, strength, and continued finances would be amazing! At this point it is still looking like i need around $2,100 AUD before the deadline. This deadline ensures that i will be able to get the best flight price possible! I know i say this quite a bit, but i have to say that i am so blessed by all of you! Your support has truly been the reason why i am where i am today. I would just ask again that you would pray for me during this time and seek God about donating towards this next part of my life. Thank you all for taking the time to read my blog, e-mail me at ashdg91@yahoo.com if you have any questions!
God Bless,
Ash
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A DONATION TOWARDS MY OUTREACH FINANCES:
Use this link:
https://www.ywamperth.org.au/007/payonline.asp
-Fill in your contact information
-Select donation
-For a staffmember
-For someone else
-Fill in Ashlee Gaston
-and in the “More Information” box below write For Outreach Fees
A Quick Update!
Hey everyone! So today marks one week until my outreach finances are due! Right now it is looking like i need around $2,355 AUD before the due date. I am trusting that God is going to bring this in before it’s due so our team can make the best flight arrangements possible. This week we started meeting in our outreach teams and it is looking like our team is going to be loads of fun! We also found out that our team will split into two smaller teams after 10 days in Dhaka, I along with Romano will be leading a team of 8 students to another city in Bangladesh for 2 weeks. We are all so excited to get to Bangladesh and dive into ministry! As well we are looking ahead to London where we will be spending the majority of our outreach. We still haven’t found out who will be on those teams, but we are learning more and more about the need in that city and can’t wait to get there!
Last week i challenged you to really pray about being able to support me in any way financially. Thank you again for your continued prayer and support! I am so blessed by all of you and can’t wait to tell you all about the miracles that God will no doubt be doing in the next few days! Have a great rest of the week and God bless!
-Ash
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A DONATION TOWARDS MY OUTREACH FINANCES:
Use this link:
https://www.ywamperth.org.au/007/payonline.asp
-Fill in your contact information
-Select donation
-For a staffmember
-For someone else
-Fill in Ashlee Gaston
-and in the “More Information” box below write For Outreach Fees
Happy Sunday!
Good morning/evening/afternoon depending on where you are! This week has been a good one, the school’s topic was evangelism which has always been a hard one for me but one that i am constantly working to improve so i enjoyed the teaching. Our speaker Paul Childers is a phenomenal speaker who has some great stories of God using him all over the world, he was really an inspiration to the students and to me as well! We got to go out on Friday night and do evangelism in the city, we all had a great time putting into action the things we learned this week. This week also marked my last small group with the 6 girls that Tirza, my co-leader, and i have been with. Next week begins full-on outreach prep! So exciting! We will be meeting in the teams we will be with for the first 4 weeks, and then shortly after be spending time with our London teams (which have yet to be determined). But we still have 4 weeks of lectures before we all embark to our separate countries, starting with a teaching on spiritual warfare with Peter Warren! I am excited to see what else God has for this school before we head off to see what he has for us in the nations!
One of the main points that Paul was talking about this week was the area of faith. Faith isn’t an emotion but an action that we take in obedience to the things that God has been speaking. This really stuck out to me, especially now as i am trusting God for finances for outreach. God has everything under control, we just have to be obedient to what he is telling us! I have full faith that he is going to provide during this time, in whatever way he feels is necessary! I can sometimes be an impatient person, and to still have around $2,700 to go and only a week and a half for it to come in i can find myself getting a bit anxious! This week really reminded me of all the things that God has done for me in the past year, especially with my finances and i have seen him move in miraculous ways. What seems impossible to us, is completely possible with God. I know this money is going to come, and i am walking out in the little things that God has been speaking when it comes to my fundraising! After looking at what i need and doing some math i realized that if 54 people donate $50 towards my outreach i will be set! I have over 595 friends on Facebook, that is a bit over 50 last i checked! I would love to challenge my Facebook friends today, really pray and ask God if there is any way that you could partner with me in this next adventure! I would be so blessed by any donation you have the means to give!
As it gets closer i am getting such a heart for these nations, and i know that God has something incredible in store for these people! I feel so blessed to follow a God who wants to use me to do his work among the nations! What a privilege! I would continue to encourage you to pray for me and my team as we prepare for our outreach, and for me as i am still raising funds! Any support, be it prayer or finance is such a blessing! Thank you all for taking the time to read this, and thank you for your prayers!
God Bless,
Ash
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A DONATION TOWARDS MY OUTREACH FINANCES:
Use this link:
https://www.ywamperth.org.au/007/payonline.asp
-Fill in your contact information
-Select donation
-For a staffmember
-For someone else
-Fill in Ashlee Gaston
-and in the “More Information” box below write For Outreach Fees
Nomaashkaar! Asalaam Alaykum!
Hello Everyone! So it’s been another week of hard hitting truth, this time all about relationships! Such a good topic, and especially living in such a huge community, it’s something that i am faced with every single day. God really opened my eyes to a lot of things and i am walking away yet again with some awesome new revelations! We are about 3 weeks away from finances being due and i am still in need of around $3,300 AUD! I have full faith that God is going to pull a miracle and provide these finances! Please continue to pray that they all come in on time and quickly so we, as a whole team, can get the best flights possible! The quicker the bookings are made, the less expensive it is. So i will continue to encourage you to pray, pray, pray that finances come in for me and my whole team, that we can find great deals on flights and that God would give me strength during this time of fundraising.
As i said in my last blog post, i wanted to let you all know more about the countries that we are visiting, starting with the amazing nation of Bangladesh! You may have been wondering what those two strange phrases were in my title, well that would be the traditional Hindu and Muslim greetings in Bengali! The YWAM base in Bangladesh sent our team a really awesome paper with all of the greetings and common phrases in Bengali for us to learn beforehand which is so helpful! While we are in Bangladesh the girls will have to wear the traditional dress wherever we are, the outfit is called a Salwar Kameez. We are all very excited to get to dive into this beautiful culture! Some helpful facts about Bangladesh and the people there:
- It is bordered by India from the North, East and West and Myanmar from the South
- Capital city is Dhaka
- The population is 118 Million people
- The main religions are Muslim and Hindu with a small percentage of Buddhists and Christians
- One of the largest Muslim countries in the world
- Was originally a part of Pakistan until they became an independent nation in 1971; Previously known as East Pakistan
This still developing nation has such a need to hear the gospel and be radically transformed by the love of Christ! As a team we are incredibly excited to be able to play a small part in the plan God has for the people there. If you have a free moment we would all appreciate your prayer while we are preparing for this trip! We want to be able to communicate and share God to these people in the most effective way possible, and that starts here! Pray for team unity, a growing passion for the people of Bangladesh, FINANCES, and for safety and health when we finally arrive in the nation!
Thank you so much again for your support, even in taking the time to read my blog! I am thinking of you all and praying for you here in Perth!
Love and Blessings,
Ash
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A DONATION TOWARDS MY OUTREACH FINANCES:
Use this link:
https://www.ywamperth.org.au/007/payonline.asp
-Fill in your contact information
-Select donation
-For a staffmember
-For someone else
-Fill in Ashlee Gaston
-and in the “More Information” box below write For Outreach Fees
Thank you so much again!
Fly Away.
So this past week the staff were told where they would be leading teams on outreach, and i am beyond excited to say the least. I can’t wait to lead a team to Bangladesh and London! It’s going to be an amazing 3 months and i can’t wait to be used by God in these amazing nations. So an obvious part of outreach is finances to get there, which is what this post is all about. In the next 6 weeks i need to raise around $5,000 AUD. Yes that seems like an impossible amount, but i have God on my side and nothing is impossible with him. I have FULL faith that this money will come in no problem! I am writing this so you can prayerfully consider donating any money at all towards this outreach! Also, any prayer for my team and for my fundraising in general are much appreciated. This is such an amazing opportunity for me to learn how to lead a team cross-culturally, and to grow in God in the process. I have been so blessed here at YWAM Perth to have my staff fees covered every single month, and now that i am staffing a school i get to see God work again in the area of finances! I am so excited to see how he provides these next few weeks, the quicker the money comes the better the flight deals are! So pray, pray, pray that these fees come in smoothly and quickly. :)
Also, be praying as the students wait on God to see which team they should be a part of for the outreach portion of their DTS. We all want them to truly hear from God and i am confident that he will speak! Pray for open ears and hearts! They are such an amazing group of students, and i am so blessed to be a part of their lives these 6 months. God has already done some incredible things, even in the first 5 weeks, i can’t even imagine what he has in store for the weeks to come. Thank you all again for your continued support, whether it be through prayer or finances (or both), you are all amazing! If you have any more questions about my outreach, or what exactly is happening around Perth shoot me an e-mail at ashdg91@yahoo.com. I would love to hear from you!
Blessings,
Ash
PS:
If you would like to donate online at ywamperth.org.au scroll down to the donate/pay link
fill in your contact info, select donation, for a staffmember, select for someone else, fill in my name and in the more information box write “Outreach Fees”.
This will make sure that all of your money goes directly into that fund! Thank you so much again! :)
Hey Everyone!
So I know it’s been awhile since I have given you all a proper update so I thought that today would be the perfect day to let you all know how things are going! The past few weeks have been pretty amazing on the fundraising front, I have been blessed with a lot of little odd jobs and some sweet donations from unexpected people! It has been so amazing to see God’s hand in all of it, and it has really given my family especially a new perspective on having faith and believing for something to happen. Thanks to an amazing donation of $600 I was able to pay for my health insurance and my student visa, which is such a blessing! All that I have left to fund raise for is my flight and the $1000 fee for the class I am taking over my two years on base. This weekend I have a fundraiser planned and am hoping that I will get enough support to pay for my plane ticket and get me started on the school fees. My staff fees are also getting closer to being paid off for both years, which is incredibly exciting! I have around 9 people who have pledged to support me monthly, and am looking for another 3 or so who would like to support me $25 a month for the next two years. I am so excited to be getting so close, I plan on leaving November 29, and to know that the money is coming really helps me to relax and enjoy this time with my family before I leave. I’m also looking ahead to fundraising for my outreach that takes place in April, and planning ways to get that money in as well. I am so stoked to see God really show up in the next few weeks before I leave, and I have no doubt that I will be blown away by his provision. Thank you all so much for continually praying and believing in me, it means a lot to have you in my life. I hope to have some more amazing news after this weekend, but until then have a fantastic week and God bless!
-Ash
I am beyond blessed.
Even though i may not have everything together at the moment, and there are days where it seems gloomy and impossible, i still feel blessed. I have an amazing support system at home and around the world that keeps me going every single day, I have an amazing God on my side that i know has an amazing plan for my life, and even though not much is happening i still get the most amazing revelations every single day! I love that God is teaching me lessons and helping me to grow during this time! It is such an encouragement to me! Today i was able to talk to my best friend Emily for a long time after not seeing her for almost 9 months. It was so amazing to share with someone who hadn’t heard yet what God has done in my life this past year. How can i begin to imagine an ordinary life for myself when i serve such an extraordinary God? He wants so much more for me then i can even imagine and i can’t stop trusting that he will provide! I know that as a person when the money isn’t there and everything isn’t planned out perfectly we can doubt if it is the right thing, but i know that God made me a promise and i have complete faith he will follow through. I just really wanted to share with everyone that i know i will be heading back to Australia in 2 months, and i know that the support will come. It’s not my job to worry about it, it’s Gods and he has it all under control. Back when i was in Perth i was given this verse during a hard time,
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
I am so excited to see the miracles that are going to happen during this time. Thank you all for your continued prayer for me, i can feel it and i am so grateful to have it!
God Bless,
Ash
An Update of sorts.
So things have been looking up lately, more people have been committing to supporting me long-term, which is AMAZING. I have been getting a few more job offers (babysitting and things like that), and that always helps. It’s all going great, except there are a few expenses that i need to pay soon, as in the next 2 weeks, that i still don’t have the money for. I need $900 for my health insurance, and then around $500 for my student visa, not to mention my plane ticket, when the time comes to buy one. What i am saying is now i need some immediate support! I am so blessed to have people in my life who can and will support me monthly while i am away, but i would also love one-time supporters as well! I am so grateful for any kind of donation that is given. :)
If you would like to donate now, or even still monthly, you can donate to YWAM Perth directly using this link and following the steps provided for a donation to Ashlee Gaston:
https://www.ywamperth.org.au/007/payonline.asp
And if a check is easier for you please make it out to Ashlee Gaston and send it here:
2307 Aladdin Way
Lodi, CA 95242
Thank you so much for continuing to check my blog and follow me on this journey! You are all amazing, and i am blessed to know you.
-Ash
Falling into place.
Yesterday morning i woke up bright and early to pick up a car that i am going to be cleaning with my dad. We set out at about 6 in the morning, the sun was still down and it was a bit chilly out, but i liked it a lot. I was sitting in the car thinking about the sermon on Sunday, the title was Tragedy to Triumph. I haven’t been through any major tragedies recently but i felt like the whole message just spoke to me. It was about being joyful in a not-so-joyful situation, waiting on a word from God, not letting your imagination get the best of you, taking action instead of sitting back and moping and then letting God do the rest. I felt like this message could apply to my life at the moment. I am currently trying to raise a bit over $3,000 in a little less then 3 months, an amount that seems impossible for a lot of people (even me sometimes). I was sitting in church just getting nailed by these points! I have to keep myself encouraged in the Lord, not forget his words for me. Just like in my last post, i have to remember that i was given this calling by God, and he has a plan for me! After working hard looking for a job and then not finding one, my mind can run away from me. I start looking at every bad outcome and i scare myself. What i really need to do is realize that God is a God of the impossible. He looks at my $3,000 and sees an opportunity! He is bigger then our biggest problems, we just forget sometimes. When you start to realize this you can’t just sit around, you have to take action and move on the words that God has given you. Yesterday i had the opportunity to skype with 3 of my closest friends from DTS, all 3 from a different country. One of them is coming back in December to staff as well, but he is a lot farther in the fundraising process then me. He gave me a verse of encouragement that he felt God had for me that morning, 2 Corinthians 9:8-9,
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As is it written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.”
And then a little later i talked to another friend who told me right at the beginning of our conversation that she knows that it is going to all fall into place. I finished talking to them and felt so much better about everything.
Later that night i was on Facebook and someone posted a status saying they were looking for someone to work in their church nursery for a few weeks, for small pay. I immediately said i was available and now i have a weekly job! A little later that night i had someone message me and ask for my mailing address so they could send me a check! God is so awesome and he DOES answer prayer! When i was in Iceland i got a word from someone at the conference we were helping with, he told me that God was giving me a lion heart and that i was going to charge forward with a sword in hand to take my destiny. I know that this path isn’t going to be easy, but i am a soldier of Christ and he has given me the ability to march forward with confidence in him. I am so excited to see what else he has in store for me in the next few months, and the amazing miracles that he is going to perform!
Hey Guys!
So as you all know i am still fundraising to get back to Perth within the next few months! Currently i am estimating that i will need around $2,500-$3,000 in the very beginning. That is a lot of money that i don’t have and am trusting God for. If any of you feel called to give i am so grateful! I am sending letters out within the next few days with my address so you can send checks, but i have also set up a PayPal account to make it easier on you guys (one less stamp!). The link is now on my blog, to the right of my posts! Thank you so much for supporting me, it honestly is so encouraging to see how much you all care! Love you and God Bless!
-Ash
PS:
If any of you would like to receive a letter, please just Facebook me or shoot me an email at ashdg91@yahoo.com :)
