- Luke 10:21
Dear friends and children of God,
I have felt so humbled over the past month by God’s presence and His ongoing work (John 5:17). He truly reveals Himself to little children and even chooses to work through them for His glory! I have gone through many transitions recently, most notably moving out of Lons-le-Saunier last week (and leaving behind precious kitty and friends). It was a bittersweet end as I looked over the year’s events. The church is looking ahead to their new pastor’s arrival in August, but I ask you to continue to pray that their worship and interactions with each other will be Spirit-led and that the new pastor will give them solid spiritual guidance.
Entering my final month in Lons, I was wondering what the purpose of my work there had been, when God reminded me that my personal evaluation of my situation does not often reflect His! How humbling to remember that I do not need to question His purposes for me and the people around me, regardless of the outcome. Some of you have already heard my story about my Italian friend Gloria, but I will retell it here for those who haven’t. Gloria moved in with my friend Alisha about six weeks ago and visited our church at Alisha’s invitation. Coming from a non-practicing Catholic background, she had many questions about our faith. The following weekend, I was taking a trip to Geneva and felt that I should invite her along, sensing that God had big plans for her if she decided to come.
At the last minute, she called to say that she might as well come. During the drive there, we talked about what it means to have salvation by faith in Jesus, a new concept to her. Throughout the weekend, she had various conversations with Christian friends and joined us for church on Sunday. Afterwards, she told me that she had been crying during the service and really wanted to understand more. On the drive back to Lons, we spent the whole hour and a half discussing what it means to know Jesus and receive His gift of salvation. She was so eager to hear the truth, saying that she had always felt God’s presence in her life, but did not know how to connect with Him. Finally, I asked her if she wanted to make this personal decision for herself and pray. She quickly said that she did, so we pulled the car over and prayed together. What a joyful moment!
Since then, we have met a few times to study the Bible together. She is so hungry to know more and often asked when we could talk more about the Bible. The first time we had a Bible study, my friend Alisha joined in and we all really sensed the Holy Spirit leading our conversations. The second time, their third roommate Nadia, a Muslim girl, also decided to stick around drawn by the worship songs we were singing. We were reading John 2 and had a chance to talk about Jesus as God and Messiah. Please pray for Nadia’s growing acceptance of this truth! Pray also for Gloria’s deepening faith. She has such a desire to learn and to know Jesus more personally, but she is intimidated by reading the Bible on her own. She is just a baby in her faith, but I trust the Lord to bring more believers across her path to guide her, particularly since I am no longer in Lons to meet with her regularly. Through all of this, however, I was greatly encouraged by what God continues to do, even when I was beginning to lose hope.After a couple of days of packing and cleaning, I said good-bye to Lons to join a short-term team hosting VBS in Lyon with our ICC church partners. What a tiring, but satisfying week! They had expected between 20-30 French & Anglophone children, but they ended up having over 40 children! And God was at work again the lives of little children. Even better, my life-long dream was realized when I got to be the Craft Lady for the week and make fun things with them like pot holders, visors, and key chains. They heard the Gospel in various ways, through songs, lessons, the Color Gospel and games. It was also special to see our ICCL team in action and be encouraged by their dedication and faith.
I am now on my way to Marseille where the ministry team will continue multiple projects over the next week. At the same time, I will join Dan Painter there and continue working on all of the exciting projects that God is presenting to us for ICC. ICC-Eurasia is charging ahead as a non-profit in fund-raising and organization. ICCM will host a Family Summer Fun day on the 21st, encouraging local families to get involved with the ministry. Please continue to pray for these many aspects of ICC and for the discernment and energy needed to carry them out. It is such an honor for me to participate and see God leading us along the way!
Finally, I want to thank you for your continuing encouragement and faithfulness in prayer and in support throughout this year. My time with Global Outreach and ICC will officially be ending this summer, so please remember to hold your financial support starting in August. Also, please note that I can no longer be reached at my address in Lons-le-Saunier. I am still waiting to know God’s direction for me in this upcoming year and I appreciate your fervent prayers for my next step in serving and surrendering to Him. “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field” (Luke 10:2). I look forward to updating you soon on how He leads. Meanwhile, I pray that He continues to draw each of us into a more intimate knowledge of Him.
Love in Christ,
Ashley Erdmann
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