Hello from Malaysia!
It’s been a while since I last posted—so sorry! But good news: I’m going to start posting once a week again because I now have access to WiFi when I need it!
For this blog, I want to share some quick updates from the past three weeks.
Eswatini Ministry
The last blog I posted was a big update on Eswatini! The WiFi barely worked when I first 
uploaded it, so I went back and added some photos. Go check it out if you want to see the faces of all the amazing people I got to serve with for a month!
PVT (Parent Vision Trip)
My parents got to visit me in Africa, and it was the best week ever. I missed them so much! Seeing my two worlds collide was so weird but so fun. We went on a safari, served at a CarePoint, and worshiped together all week. It was so sweet to share firsthand everything the Lord has been doing because they actually got to see it!
It was also so special meeting all my squadmates’ parents. 
Swapping stories and laughing about each other’s quirks was definitely entertaining!
Debrief
Our squad had a debrief week where we stayed at a hostel run by “Crazy Dave.” It was so much fun! We spent the week in teachings and debriefs with our coaches and mentors who flew in from the States to be with us. And—we had a pool! You can already guess that K Squad practically lived in that pool the whole time. It was such a fun and refreshing week. We also got to go on another safari to Kruger National Park. One of the coolest days of my life!
Awakening
The next week was just as crazy and unexpected! Three different squads were in Eswatini at the same time, so before we left and they started their ministries, we spent three days together. AIM staff led us through a packed schedule of teachings and worship, and even though it was busy, it was so filling. I felt so refreshed afterward—it was amazing.
It was also our last few days with our whole squad together, which was bittersweet. Saying goodbye was hard, but there were so many sweet moments in those final days.
Travel
And just like that, the dreaded travel day arrived. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t excited to come 
to Malaysia. I didn’t know what to expect, I was being separated from my closest friends, and honestly, I just felt ready to go home. Some people who had been here before told me they didn’t have the best experience, which didn’t help my mindset. Plus, I wasn’t thrilled about spending three straight days in airports and on buses—but I think that’s pretty understandable.
We left Swazi and drove to Johannesburg, South Africa, then flew to Dubai. From Dubai, we flew to Singapore, which was really cool because now I can say I’ve been to the three most expensive airports in the world: Qatar, Singapore, and Dubai!
We spent the night in Singapore, with our dreaded goodbyes at 4:30 AM. And by “spent the night,” I mean we pulled an all-nighter so we could soak up every last moment together. As one does at 2 AM in an empty airport, we had some random adventures—including getting stuck on the 5th floor with no way down. (Shoutout to Zack for rescuing us!) It was honestly worth it because there was some pretty cool stuff up there.
Then, it was time for goodbyes. With how much we cried, you would have thought we were going home—not just being separated for two months. It was sad, but I knew God had something for me in Malaysia.
From Singapore, we took two six-hour bus rides before finally arriving—53 hours later!
Malaysia
We just wrapped up our first day of ministry here, and I think I’m going to like it. Stay tuned for a blog about life in Malaysia, the culture, and what ministry looks like!
I love and miss you all more than you know. Just over two months left until I’m back home! In the meantime, I’d love if you’d join me in prayer—I would really appreciate it.
Prayer Requests:
•Joy in each day!
•Protection against burnout and homesickness
•To be fully present and see God in every moment
•For God to move through our ministry
•For people to ask me about my faith (since evangelism is illegal here)
With love,
Ashlyn
Great update Ashlyn!
Here’s an anti-burnout quote:
“God is in the process of putting the world right; and He is now recruiting by His Spirit, through the proclamation of Jesus, people who will join in this project where they have to be put right themselves in order to be part of God’s putting-right-movement for the world. And this obviously involves believing; it involves joining and being plunged into the family of Jesus’ followers. And it involves then, inevitably, having one’s life turned upside-down, inside-out by the Holy Spirit working in someone’s life.” —N.T. Wright
You are being shaped into the person God made you to be–the image of God–the house of Yahweh. You represent Yahweh everywhere you go. Go in His name and in His strength.
Ashlyn! You are so strong and your courage and boldness to step out in faith to serve others is amazing! God has brought you to so many amazing places and the growth you’ve experienced is so beautiful and stunning! Praying for you and hope you soak up these last two months! Remain open (as you already have) to what the Lord wants to do and how he wants to use you even when it feels confusing or uncomfortable. Continue to lean into Him and he will never fail 💜
So excited for you!