hi everyone,

this is my second to last prayer update email. i will write once more on saturday or sunday when i return to jersey.:) thanks so much for being on our prayer team!!

please pray for:
-campers as they hear the cross talk tonight
-leaders as they interact with the kids
-assignment team, summer staff and work crew as we prepare to leave
-that the a-team kids would not have chicken pox (still undetermined) and if it is, that it won't spread
-safe trip home
-me to continue to get over being sick

thank god for:
-a wonderful three weeks
-kids who met christ
-good weather to end on
-new friends
-this chance to serve him in this capacity
-saranac

i hope you all are well! drop me a line if you have a chance.

thanks, ashley

happy sunday everyone,

i had the best day contact work wise with summer staff today. we had great talks and i really feel like i had the opportunity to have quality time with most of them. it was amazing. praise the lord for that.

some of you know that i have been sick. i was really out of commission a couple of days ago but at least today i feel strong enough to be up and around. please pray that i will feel better soon. this sore throat is SO ANNOYING...and the only thing i have left to get rid of.

we have a new speaker this week. his name is daniel and he is from california (ooooooh yeah). he was brought in by the request of the "higher uppers" in yl due to our 110 asian yl kids here. his girlfriend becky is here as well. please pray that they will feel like a part of our team and that kids will hear the words that the lord is speaking through him.

everyone arrived at camp safely today. praise the lord!

another praise - i have a niece now. sullivan hadley phelan. can't wait to see her.

i will write again in a couple of days. thanks for praying with me as we enter our last week!

love, ashley

i became an aunt this morning...and it's a girl!

sullivan hadley phelan

may she follow jesus and know love and service to the fullest.

i'll post pics as soon as i get my hands on some!

hi all,

today we are at the halfway point. hard to believe and it is bittersweet. thanks for all your prayers!

things here are going well. the weather has cooled off tremendously and that has been amazing. last night we had a low of 45! that is winter in central california.;) it has been great - and it really has been making camp more "comfortable" for everyone. praise the lord for that.

last night when we were cleaning up from the rodeo we were taking down the wooden cows (we hang from the ceiling) and one of the ss girls, julia, got hit in the head when one fell on her. thankfully it did not require stitches but it did shake her up a bit. please pray for healing.

the ss is feeling tired and a couple are in bed sick today. please pray for their health.

as always, please pray that jesus will be prominent in everything we do.

personally i am doing well. i am anxious to go home (to california). knowing that i get to go home next sunday, after being away for 8 months (i haven't been home since christmas), is super exciting. i will get to see family, friends, etc. please also pray for my new niece or nephew who is to arrive any day. i am so excited to be an aunt.

"j" is hanging in there. i am communicating with her via email and phone with possible and she seems to be doing better. please continue to pray for her.

i hope all is well with you all. drop me a line if you have a chance.

blessings, ashley

praises:

-we had 85 people stand up today and say that they decided to give their hearts to jesus this week. it was amazing.
-we all made it through the week safely and had a lot of fun doing hard work together.
-my awesome night in lake placid with the summer staff girls. one girl (college age) said, "i hope i am as cool as you when i am old!" am i that old?? since when did a 20-year-old think 27 was old?? too funny!
-the fact that god loves me and you - and is 100% passionate about us.

requests:

-i was on the phone with john tonight when i noticed my call waiting going off. i didn't answer because i didn't recognize the number and i thought they could leave a message and i would call them later. well, they ended up getting saranac's number off of my voicemail, which i have listed as an emergency number, and got a hold of me that way. it ended up being a girl from my club at home who needed to talk to me. due to privacy - and the fact that this is a public forum - i will not put anymore here. just pray for her and her situation. that she will have peace and clarity from her creator.
-my broken toe - that it will heal soon!!! -our new batch of campers. -that i will be able to serve others as jesus would.

i am sending out prayer letters while i am at saranac and will also post them here. here is the last one that already went out - and i am hoping to send out another one on sunday.

i did break my toe today. not much you can do about a broken toe but it sucks having to stumble around. now i have broken two toes in my lifetime, along with my leg twice. lovely.;) i am such a klutz!!

august 1

happy tuesday everyone!

well, last night we all experienced quite a event. our camp was underneath the eye of a very severe thunderstorm and we were all woken up in the middle of night to a HUGE (and when i say HUGE, i mean HUGE) storm. there was constant lightning and the loudest thunder i have ever heard. it was the worst storm i have ever experienced and many of the older people say it was for them as well. lightning even took out a tree on camp . it was unbelievable...and, i'll admit it, scary. i was waiting for the fire alarm to go off!

this is why i am writing you. praise the lord that the storm hit when it did. no one was outside. with the lightning hitting our camp it could have been a very dangerous situation had campers been outside. thankfully the lord provided.it did take out our power (but has been restored). however it did "fry" appliances around camp. please pray that we can get all of that restored. please also pray that kids will be alert tonight at club. because all of us were awake for a good part of the night, kids might begin to feel tired and less able to pay attention at club. dave, our speaker, is speaking on the need of man and we would love for kids to be able to be 100% attentive.

other then all of that, things are going well. i am continuing to connect with girls and that has been fun. please pray that that will continue and that we will be able to have meaningful conversations.i have to get going - please drop me a line (i love to get mail of any kind). please also let me know how i can pray for you!

in a few hours i will be leaving for my assignment at saranac. right now i am waiting for my laundry to finish and then i will start packing. i will be gone for three weeks and then will be home in california for about three weeks. i can't wait.

camp at rockbridge was great, except for the fact that one of the leaders, holli who is a really good friend fo mine, got sick and had to go home early. (but she is going to be ok.) the kids had a terrific time and all of our kids who didn't know christ did indeed become believers. i will post pictures when i have time.

the day we got back from camp i went and picked my dad up from the airport and we spent the next few days moving. he helped me out sooo much. i seriously could not have done it without him. now i am completely in my new place and it is nice. i'm glad that everything is done and when i come home in six weeks i won't have to come home to a house full of boxes! again, i will post pictures when i have time.:)

hannah is getting ready to move and that makes me sad. i have really enjoyed living with her and being friends with her. next year is going to be so weird! my fall will fly by though with fun events and visitors so i'm sure i will manage. but she will greatly be missed.

it looks like a got a part-time job as a nanny. young life couldn't really afford to keep me on full-time so i will be working two jobs. it's not my favorite thing to do but it should help me make ends meet. i am meeting with the family on the 20th to put the final details into place.

here is my address - please write me!
Ashley Phelan, A-Team
Young Life's Saranac Village
4014 State Route 30
Saranac Lake, NY 12983

i will have phone and email access so i will definitely be around in that way as well.

well, i better get going. big day ahead of me. sorry about my sporadic postings - i will try to be better. i am going to take a few mins to catch up on all of yours while my laundry finishes.

lots of love!!

hey everyone!

my roommate and really good friend is moving back to the west coast. (lucky! just kidding. i love it here.) so, that means that i have to move. effective july 19 my new address and number is:
1133 old york road apt. 4
ringoes, nj 08551
908-788-5228
my cell phone is the same: 908-391-7608

i am moving the day after i come home from camp. what was i thinking???;)

speaking of camp - please pray for us! we will be at rockbridge july 12-18. we have 19 total going. the leaders are driving kids down and back so please pray for safety and for our week in general.

love and miss you all, ashley

happy friday!

thanks for all of your concern about the flooding. while the rivers are still more full then usual, they are now passable and the water is definitely receding. it has been an adventure for me but for the people who were flooded out i'm sure it was misery. some reports said it was the worst flooding in years and years.

i hope you enjoyed your fourth of july. i am posting a picture from my time at the phillies/padres game on the holiday. there was a surprise downpour and you can see how soaked we are. it was actually really funny.

i went to the city with hannah the other day. we won tickets to see "the drowsy chaperone." it was great and we were quite excited. we also took a cruise around the harbor. i am posting a pic that hannah took of the statue of liberty.


i leave for camp on wednesday, and then move out the day after i come home. but, my dad is coming here to help me move so that is a huge help. i am sad to move but it has to be done. and, my new apt. is decent. :) i will post pics of it on here soon.

that's all for now - more soon! enjoy your weekend! xoxo

Hunterdon County in a state of emergency...and this is just the beginning. Here are some pics, articles, and thoughts on our flooding.

The famous Mill in Clinton (my town). Closed due to flooding.

Flooding in Clinton 

Overflowing over the wall and onto the street. Raritan River. 

Raritan River about 3 mins. where I live. 

Washington Crossing Bridge. This is how I found out I was stuck in PA. Thanksfully I found another bridge to cross over just in time. 

I had to leave because water was coming towards me. 

Others were standing there in amazement as well. 

Washington Corssing Bridge. I am on the PA side. The bridge is close due to flooding. (This is where Washington Crossed the Delaware. I was able to cross it to go to Newtown. When I came home I was not allowed to cross back.) 

The bridge before it was "swallowed." 

Standing on the PA side of Washington Crossing. You can see how the water was slowly creeping towards me as I was standing there. 

A pic from online - a different pic of flooding on 29.