Sunday, January 26, 2014

The Vision

Many of you know what I'll be doing in China, but for some of you who have stumbled across my blog, you probably know little about me and what I'll be doing. Hopefully this post will change that.

My name is Ashton and I come from a family of mixxionaries. My grandparents have gone to several nations including Spain, Costa Rica, Peru, Kenya, Ghana, India, Mexico, USA, Guatemala, Israel, and many other places on mixxion trips. My parents have gone to several nations including Ghana, India, Mexico, Guatemala, and others. So for me to want to be a mixxionary was not a foreign idea to my family.

Ever since I was 12 years old I've felt called to full time mixxions in Asia and the 10/40 window. This desire is never something I could've conjured up on my own but rather a G-d given desire and vision for my life. I'm called to give up comfort, ease, and stability to lay down my life for loving the people G-d loves. Is my calling any better than someone called to the marketplace? Surely not! People called to generate income to be able to support those in foreign lands unable to generate income have just as much inheritance in the reward of the work as the mixxionary doing the work. The body of Chr-st needs each other and depends upon each other. Sometimes that includes financially. In reality, your mixxion field is wherever G-d has called you, whether thats a foreign nation, your office, your high school, or your backyard. We are called to be a light wherever we are and proclaim His imminent return as we are moving through life. For me, it's the foreign field.

When I was 9 years old, I went with my mom and grandparents to Guatemala on my first mixxion trip. I quickly found out that mixxions was not always glorious and a dream. It's hard work and things don't always go as planned! One Sunday while at ch-rch close to my 12th birthday, a lady named Deborah Xu came to speak at my ch-rch. She was part of the underground ch-rch in Ch-na and talked about the Back to Jerusalem movement. Listening to her describe how the Ch-nese people were making a point to go through the hardest places to travel to Jerusalem to have the Israelites welcome home their King Jes-s struck my heart. I wanted to somehow be a part of joining with them to see Jes-s return to earth.

Guatemala 2001

Later when I was 12, my parents took my sister and I with my grandparents to the nation of Ghana in West Africa. While my parents were seeing how my sister and I fit in Africa as they felt called to full time mixxions and felt G-d's direction to move there, for me it was really the awakening in my heart of living a life laid down for love long term in foreign lands. My sister and I were both in tears leaving Ghana because the mixxionary life was a deeply embedded desire in both of us. G-d's direction became more clear to my parents and we moved to IH-PKC to be intercessory mixxionaries where we have lived for the past 5 years.



 Africa 2004

When I was 18, I traveled to Taiwan and Japan with a family from my dance studio. It was my first experience of Asia and immediately stepping off the plane, I knew Asia was my home. I loved ministering through dance and the relationships that were built.



 Japan/Taiwan 2010

The next summer when I was 19, my chief desire came true. I was going to Ch-na. I got to spend 7 weeks there traveling to unknown villages in Tibet, working with underground ch-rches, dancing in the park with the people, teaching B-ble studies, teaching English, going to pr-yer meetings, loving on the Ch-nese people, and falling in love with the G-d given desire inside of me. Leaving that summer was one of the hardest things I had ever done. Coming home, I plunged straight into a 4 year program at a B-ble college. Currently I'm still in the school getting my degree in prophesy, healing, and deliverance. These are tools I felt would help me to be able to love G-d's people well.


  China 2011

When I was 20, I went to Taiwan, Japan, and New Zealand for 6 weeks again with the dance family. Ministering in several dance settings to several different audiences, my heart longed to return to Ch-na. I didn't think it would be possible until after I finished school in 2015, but G-d had a surprise for me up His sleeve.



 Taiwan/Japan/New Zealand 2012

Late this fall (2013) I was approached with an opportunity to live in Ch-na for 5 1/2 months (that's right-months!) as a mixxionary. I am going to be participating in a dance program at a local University as my cover story for being there. I also will get the opportunity to build relationships with the students as I learn Ch-nese culture/history and take Ch-nese language classes so I can talk to the people of the land. Being able to live life in Ch-na and get to be a shining light as I live life with the Ch-nese people is more than I could ever ask for. I'm so thankful for the dance training that G-d has had me grow up with so that this opportunity to be a mixxionary could be possible! I'll be dancing about 25 hours a week as well as training/teaching 20 hours a week while keeping up with my B-ble college classes from home online. G-d is so good to my heart!

It is exciting to see how G-d's desire and plans for my life continue to become more clear and take shape. These next 6 months will be stretching, a period of learning and growing. I know it will be hard and not always fun, but following and obeying G-d's voice is always rewarding.

Only 16 more days!!!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

34 days and counting...

So much has happened in the past month! After Christmas and Onething 2013 (check out the archives at www.ih-pkc.org! Jes-s Culture, Matt Redman, Francis Chan, and Banning Liebscher were all amazing guest worship leaders/speakers!) things shifted to focus more on my upcoming move to China. My passport was mailed off, received a visa, and sent back to me. That's a huge answer to pr-yer! Plus more of the little details have been answered about specifics regarding the dance program. So far I know of three dancers (me, Kirsti, and Karissa) that are involved in the program. Pr-y for all of our preparations to go smoothly!

Plus I'm 35% funded! Thank you so much to everyone who has given so generously! Please continue to pr-y with me that G-d continues to bring in the rest of the finances. If you know of anyone who might be interested in supporting me financially, please feel free to give them my blog, email, phone number, and F-cebook information. Your help in spreading the word helps me tremendously!

If you would like to contribute financially, please make your checks out to 'RiverStone Church' with "China mixxion trip 2014" in the memo line and send to 2005 Stilesboro Rd, Kennesaw GA 30157.

Pr-yer Requests:
1) Finances
2) Unity among the dancers as we prepare our hearts to be shining lamps in a dark place
3) Safety and health
4) Smooth travels and grace when we are packing to remember things we need to bring
5) Meetings that we have as we finalize things in the states
6) Family/friends as we prepare to say goodbye for a season
7) That my luggage arrives with me all in one piece =)

Don't forget, if you would like to receive notification by email that I've updated the blog, email me at ashtontaylorprice@gmail.com and I will add you to the list! 


Some food for thought:
As I'm preparing to go back to the land that I love, what I'm finding myself thinking about is not just the language, food, culture, experiences, and change of life that I'm about to experience, but the people themselves. They are what hold my heart captive and cause me to love the nation of China. I can see their faces in my head, remember conversations I had with them, how they loved to show me their country and introduce me to different things (chicken feet!), the laughter we shared, and the dancing we did. I'm so beyond blessed that G-d would allow me to return to them. I'm grateful that He has entrusted this season to me and has asked me to say yes to Him in this way. I can't wait to see familiar faces as well as meet many new faces! My goal is to love people well.....not because I'm amazing or a people person, but because G-d first loved me and it is only through Him that I am able to love others.

And I'm excited to take you on this journey as well! My goal is to post either weekly or bi-weekly with pictures, videos, and lots of exciting stories to share with all of you! Please don't hesitate to leave your comments, share with your friends/family/church groups, and send me updates on your life so I can be praying for you as well! Many Blessings!