hume kid 101

this morning i skyped with a dear friend and a very interesting topic came up that really got me thinking. i don't think people have any idea what former hume kids go through in life after leaving their beloved bubble in the mountains. when people take a look at the bunch of us who have moved away, they would see great family atmospheres, maturity in not only interacting with other people but he depth of understand of Jesus. the battles hume kids face is very unique and hard to explain to the average person. its one of those "you have to live it to fully understand" missionary kids from kenya would relate more to us than a good friend who goes to church with me. what is it we face daily? as i skyped with my friend, i began to see that we ALL face (faced) the same feelings, situations, and reactions. and the sad thing is, is that there is nothing anyone can say or do that will get us out of the struggles we face (is a personal struggle with God alone).

im blogging this in hopes it gives a glimpse into the life of a blessed and yet misunderstood Christian life we live.

Living at a Christian Camp for most of my life provided such a dream childhood and i would not change it for the world. Forest was all around, we had all seasons of weather, it was safe, nothing too bad happened, afternoons were spent hanging out on one of the many rocks and fields just talking about life. Everyone's house was home to another. We were blessed with huge imaginations and would come up with the best stories to act out outside for hours on end. We were given the opportunity to start working at 11 and from that our work ethic was strong for a young kid. We were around ministry daily and got to see changed lives and our parents serving the Lord. We got to go to camp every year. Hume was a Disneyland we never had to leave. I became a Christian on my own when i was 10 at summer camp. Hume gave me a strong foundation of who i was and gave me a confidence i thought everyone down in the valley had. Jump ahead to freshman year in high school. i moved.

My world shook and before i knew it i was in states of depression. i hated life. i wanted to be done with christianity. did i hate Jesus? no way jose. how did i go form the "perfect" life and being happy to moving into a big house and new friends and become so desperate to get out? i wasnt missing out on a relationship in my life. so what was i missing? here is the sucky thing about growing up at hume. from day one we were taught Jesus inside and out. we had a ton of knowledge but we never had to apply it. when i moved, there were overwhelming circumstances that caused me to fall on the ground in a frantic state.

did you know that we feel so alone? so isolated? so unrelatable?

disneyland..its not a love..its an obsession

For those who know me well- beach boys, pineapple dole whips, tiki room, fast passes, fireworks- is my heaven. This would be, my dear friends, Disneyland. Want to win my heart- take me there. Want me to love you forever- take me there and do all my dland traditions with me!


Traditions:

I have, have to get a Pineapple dole whip and eat it while enjoying the tiki room show (the show is for 5yr olds but i just love it!)



Go on Splash Mountain at least 2 times


Go on the jungle cruise to hear the cheesy jokes (the girls are never funny)



-If I see Cruella DeVil take a picture (she scares me in the movie- but i LOVE talking to her in real life!)

-Watch the Aladdin Show

dancing my heart away

I was able to go to several dances and every one of them were all so different and such a blast! This was def on my "list before i die" but...i never got asked to a dance, so i am officially adding it to my list. i hope to be asked to a dance before my wedding night...but i will survive if i have to waits haha.


Sadies-Sophomore Year- I got the privilege of going with a dear friend to me, Timothy Souza (Timmy). We went with a group whom I knew no one at but it was a blast! We were the best dressed there. Theme: Night In the Big City :we chose Hawaiian tourist.



First formal! Junior Year. Hume put on a formal for Hume kids and Calen Plouffe asked me to go with him. It was one of my favorite nights of the year.



First prom! Junior Year. Theme: Cinderella Story. Went with Calen Plouffe again. Our group consisted of several foreign exchange students and two other couples. The night ended with a Pancake Bar! First time I actually slow danced with real dance moves taught to Calen by Rich Baker.



BEST DANCE AWARD GOES TO: Winter Formal- Senior Year. Theme: A night at the Oscars. I had the best dance partner ever! Our group was pretty much fantastic. Our limo for the night was an old fire truck. We got dance lessons from amazing dancers. Dinner was fantastic. The night ended with Minute to win it games- boys vs girls. What a night to remember. This is where new friendships were established and old ones strengthened so much-all because of a high school dance.


WSM Barn Dance

One of my favorite WSM events planned!!

Hume dance fun. Summer 2010


Dance lessons taught by Christie Alvarado. Because my dad was not at Hume, Calen was again my dance partner. Square dancing was so much fun!



Hoe Down Dance- Location: Ark. This was one of my favorite memories at Hume that summer. Calen and I ended up dancing for the night with several other fun dance partners. Go square dancing!

college...am i there yet?

it is now week 3. week 3! crazy how time has flown. there have been a bunch of fun things that have gone on while at the same time never have i been so overwhelmed with life. i am seriously struggling big time. do i like fresno? YES I LOVE IT and YES IM FINE STAYING HERE. don't get me wrong fresno is great! but as i sit back and watch friends go to college, move out of the house and enjoy dorm life, i am here at home. what is God doing in me? let me tell you. a lot so far. More than i am comfortable with honestly. So far i have been learning that i need to study...like really study and not just do it for school but to actually learn and soak up new things. Tomorrow i start work....bath and body works baby. im nervous. why? well my life has been food service galore and now im moving into a completely new job. i hope that i will enjoy it, work my best, and be able to shine Christ. Nannying starts up in a week-which is new for me too. Lifegroup starts on tuesday with Ashley!! SUPER EXCITED!!! so right now 2 words to describe life for me is. STRETCHED and NEW. im used to TRADITION and CONTROL

a thing called online classes

its only day two and IM LOVING it!!!!!! the grind is not officially my classroom and im so happy im already connecting with my other classmates whom i hope to meet in a year. i didnt think hours a day in God's word knowing im not only pursuing my dreams but also growing in my relationship with Him. Learned a new word today: hermeneutical- to make clear, interpret. go me! and one of the top things i got out of reading today. "The value of this doctrine (He doesn’t change) is enormous: since God does not change, His love and His promise forever remain certain. For example, He will never change concerning His promise in John 3:16" Didn't know theology would interest me so much. :) This has been one of the happier days of the year!

i vocalize...and yet

i vocalize how much honesty means to me and yet i look straight into my best friend's eyes, say nothing, my eyes lying saying im hiding something

i vocalize that talking things out makes processing easier and yet when someone is willing to listen i bottle up and shut the door on them.

i vocalize forgive and show grace and yet im constantly bitter or jealous and cant move past my pity party

i vocalize that im confident and thankful for who God made me to be and yet i look in the mirror thinking God could have done better

i vocalize that i dont have friends and yet who comes to my house to make sure im ok when i walked away from them

i vocalize that i do everything for Christ and that he will use me and yet i look for acceptance in my friends and family

i vocalize that i love to love people and yet i have a hard time loving the people Gods placed in my life because they don't meet my expectations

i vocalize that ive given up control and yet i keep my room messing and clean it up on MY time to show that i can control something even if its small

i vocalize that i love my sister hanging out with my friends but because i seek acceptance im always doubting and hoping i dont become plan B

i vocalize that God is growing me daily and yet i feel like im in the same place as i was 4yrs ago

i am in need of Christ and the message tonight got me hard. im overwhelmed by life and i havent even paused to talk to God. i think God is using my own self as a desert so that i will turn to him for a "just enough" dose of what he gives me whatever taht may be. (exodus 16)

He Provides...proof here

Where did all my friends go from high school? Well define friend for me first. If you are talking about someone who i invested time into and loved on, well life goes on and they are moving on. If you are talking about WSMers...same thing,new chapter in life. It's all the same. Those i was around for years are no longer a part of my life. Guess what? Im totally ok with that. God PROVIDES beyond my wildest dreams. Meet my 3 friends. You are probably thinking....wait Ashlyn has only 3 friends??? That's right and i LOVE it! They are the first people who have invested into me, loved me for me, but love me too much to see me stay where i am and therefore challenge me and encourage me!


Meet Michelle Anderson: Rewind to freshman year, youth group and leadership. I'd just moved to Fresno and knew no one...although i have no idea how we both met, i can get glimpses of my first year in this new place of us just laughing at everything and enjoying life together. We were glued to the hip freshman year-we were the typical freshies and needed each other just to laugh. What drew me to her originally? Not many people can joke and have fun with so much purity and liveliness but at the same time have a strong foundation in Christ. She is so beautiful and yet doesn't flaunt it every which way. She knows where her value and worth lie and that is not of man's acceptance but of Jesus'. She always shared in any group discussion and has always been honest. We transitioned into sophomore and junior year, friendly as always, but nothing more than a simple hi and hug. These were pivotal years in both of our lives where, through trial and error, successes and excitement, we started to stand firm in what we truly believed in and grounded in on who were were in Christ. At the start of senior year, the "fun and easy" chapter of our lives that we enjoyed for the last few years, started coming to a close all because of having to work in a real work environment. There were so many new responsibilities and expectations held to seniors and throughout the craziness, we both decided to go to dinner and just catch up. What a bonding moment. who would have thought we would tell our struggles within these last couple of years and open up enough to be raw and vulnerable. what a risk worth taking. in the car she said "i know that i may not reach out like you do, but know i will always be here for you and im you friend" sure ive heard people say it..but she she truly meant it. wow. God has brought us together, not for just for a surfacey "friendship" but for a deep and incredible friendship that has now shaped and molded my view on what love, sacrificing, and loyalty means within a friendship.


Meet Fletcher Klassen:
A boy, well young man, who has blown me away with his heart for God. Not very many can say that our friendship started when he helped my family move into a new house, go to kenya for christmas to serve for 3 weeks, go to a school formal, and have an incredible God-given friendship. He has such a heart for ministry. He constantly makes me laugh and always brightens my day. He has seen both my good and bad sides, seen me cry and even act like a clown, and loves me for me. He is loyal and caring. In the midst of hard circumstances, his strong love for Christ was his energy and by just the small things he does has truly influenced me.


Meet Sean Borgstadt:
This boy, i have known since freshman year. At first he thought i was weird so i decided there was no point in being friends with someone who didn't really want to be friends. Well God had other plans i would say, and kept placing him in my life in different ways. Leadership for one. In most of our group discussions, he was always in my group and in any group pictures with youth group..he was always next to me. Our families started becoming friends and still we didn't really acknowledge each other. For Jr/Senior Classic retreat we started to make our way closer to a friendship but it wasn't until one night in leadership when we were talking about if we were spending our time wisely here on earth and after a challenging exercise, he walked away challenged, it was laid on my heart to send him a quick message asking if he wanted to talk about it. From there we started to have several conversation and then he started giving me rides home after leadership. As his friends moved in different directions he started to see that a few of us, who were still in his life, were pretty amazing :) Although me and him are not very similar we bring out the best in each other. We can talk for hours or just play. He has such an understanding of God and i have loved seeing his relationship with HIm grow and how he views life.


None of these friends expect more than i can give. They accept me, love me and challenge me. They have redefined what a friendship really is. What a joy it is to be a part of their lives and be invested into.They bring only the best out of me and lift me up. For however long God allows them in my life, I am and will be so thankful for the impact they have had on my life and the tremendous encouragement to push me to become the woman of God I have been called to be. I AM SO BLESSED.