Summer Staff Profile: Ashley Watkins
Meet Ashley Watkins, one of our 2018 InFaith summer staffers. Some of her favorite things are rømmegrøt (a Norwegian pudding), the color orange, and the movies Tangled and The Princess Bride. But her greatest passions are God and horses. This summer, she gets to work in a ministry that combines those passions in a unique way.
Ashley will be serving with Angela Miller, who runs Ride by Faith, an InFaith equestrian mentoring program in Mountain Lake, Minnesota. Ashley has spent the last couple of years volunteering for the ministry, and is excited to have it be her job this summer. Along with mentoring young riders, Ashley will be tasked with caring for the horses, attending classes, public outreach, and various behind-the-scenes jobs. “I’m blessed to be part of this ministry,” Ashley says.
Will you pray for our summer staff?
Ashley is just one of the many young adults who will be serving alongside InFaith field staff this summer. Will you pray that they learn more about God and their place in His kingdom as they serve throughout the United States in the next few months? You can find out who this year’s summer staff are and what ministries they’ll be involved with here: infaith.org/live/our-summer-staff.
Looking for a New Camp Director
We are searching for the next director of Mount Hope Bible Camp, a 40-acre, 300-person capacity camp located in Forbestown, CA in the rural foothills of the Sierra Mountains. For over 50 years, the camp has served Yuba County and rural and urban churches located in the greater Sacramento area. If this sounds like something you or someone you know would be interested in, visit our website.
Why Reach Local?
InFaith's focus on being local means that our ministry takes different shapes in different parts of the country to reflect the uniqueness of each place and each person who serves with us. In this short 3-minute video, Ridge Burns, CEO of InFaith, explains why “reaching local” is so important. Watch the video here.
Blog: Hardship
By Ridge Burns, Executive Director/CEO
You’re not going to like what I’m going to say, but being a Christian sometimes involves enduring hardships. 2 Timothy 2:3 says, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” It’s not easy being a soldier. You’re at risk. You’re being shot at. You’re aggressive. You’re trying to take land. It’s difficult. You’re out in the field and the natural elements make it even harder, and yet Paul says to Timothy “endure hardship as a good soldier.”
People have all kinds of hardships that they need to endure. You may carry heavy burdens of marriages that are failing or wayward kids or pain from the past. You may need healing as you struggle with illness. When you carry these issues, it’s hard to hold onto your faith. Maybe you feel alone and isolated. God says, “Endure. Endure those hardships because when you do, you will find Me. I will not leave you. I will not let you go. I will hound you and pursue you. I will reach down and grab you and take you into My arms so that you know the hardship is worth it. Don’t give up!”
My blog today is for those who are struggling. Don’t give up! Endure hardship like a good soldier and you’ll be surprised at the intimate relationship you’ll develop with Christ through hardship. Now hear me carefully: I don’t like hardship. I don’t like things that are difficult or things that hold us back. But if they accomplish the good and perfect will of God and bring me more of an understanding of who Jesus is, I will endure hardship like a good soldier.
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