Oh, The Places I'll Go

Earlier this week, I met with my care committee.  As part of my preparation for our meeting, I wrote a list of all of the places I expect to travel between now and the end of July:

• April 17-18: Visit Sandpoint Friends Meeting in Sandpoint, ID to worship with them and talk about the Quaker Women's Theology Conference.
• April 24-25: Visit Freedom Friends Church in Salem, OR.
• May 2:  Visit North Seattle Friends Church in Seattle, WA to worship with them and talk about the Quaker Women's Theology Conference.
• May 13-16: Convergent Friends and New Monastics workshop at Pendle Hill, PA to serve as an elder for Martin Kelley and Wess Daniels as they lead the workshop.
• May 17-18: Visit friends in Washington DC.
• May 19-24: School of the Spirit residency in Durham, NC.
• May 28-31: Young Adult Friends Gathering in Wichita, KS. (I am still trying to discern whether I am led to attend this event.)
• June 16-20: Pacific Northwest Quaker Women’s Theology Conference in Seabeck, WA.
• July 14-18: North Pacific Yearly Meeting annual session in Missoula, MT.
• July 25-29: Northwest Yearly Meeting annual session in Newberg, OR.  (I have submitted my application to be the NPYM visitor to NWYM again; I should know whether they chose me by the end of April.)

One of the things I talked about with my care committee when we met was whether I should go to the Young Adult Friends Gathering in Wichita.  I feel that this is an important gathering, but I am wary of spreading myself too thin.  I also do not have a lot of extra money right now, and getting to Kansas from Seattle is pretty expensive.  One person on my care committee suggested that I pray for a "burning bush," such as a plane ticket to Wichita.  So I am continuing to hold this in prayer to see if Way opens.

Looking at this list makes me excited and nervous.  Traveling in the ministry can be wonderful, but it is also spiritually, emotionally, and physically exhausting.   Fortunately, I will be leaving my paid employment at the end of this month, so I will be able to dedicate time and energy to this work over the summer.  But leaving my job also means that I will not have a steady income for the next few months.

I am so grateful for my care committee.  Our meetings each month help keep me grounded and give me energy.  I treasure the time we spend in worship and I appreciate that they are willing to ask me challenging questions and listen when I say hard things.  As I go out, I feel them walking alongside me.

I will continue meeting with my care committee as I travel.  I am also looking for other forms of spiritual and financial support for the next few months.  

If you feel so led, I would appreciate it if you would pray for me.  Pray that I would be rightly led as I travel, that I would be where I am supposed to be, that I would be able to maintain my energy, and that I would be given the right words when I am led to speak.  

If you would like to make a financial contribution to support my ministry, please send me an email: ashleymwilcox AT gmail DOT com.

Thank you for your prayers and support.  I will do my best to continue writing here about the ways God is working in my life, and I look forward to seeing God's work in Friends as I travel this spring and summer.