Elizabeth’s Story

The Redemption team, an opportunity to be inviters of worship through music in front of church congregations all across America. You would think that the main part of our ministry would be on stage in front of tons of people that hear the music, the testimonies, the messages, and see the dramas that we put on. This has been proven to be very inaccurate as the years have gone by. Ministry happens when we get out of our beds in the morning. Whether it be in our rooms amongst one another, at gas stations as we travel, in churches, in schools, or in host homes that we stay in each night.

This is just one of the many stories that could be shared about how God has moved in His special way.

As I walked through the door of a home in Steventown, NY my heart was searching desperately for wisdom and strength from the Lord. I went into this host home knowing that the daughter of this family was not saved but was just warming up to the gospel. She had started attending church and her college-age-small group, as her interest in the Bible and the things of God were beginning to grow. Praying that I would have an opportunity to see this twenty-five year old young woman come to know the Savior of the universe my heart began to race as she walked through the front door. I was in the house for maybe ten minutes when I heard that Elizabeth was going to be leaving to go to Olive Garden with some of her friends. I was instantly discouraged because I thought that I was losing my chance to share Jesus with her. However, I ended up being invited to go out with her and her friends, so as we all set out in hopes of finding pumpkin cheesecake, I continued to pray that the Lord would give me an open opportunity to be a bold witness for Him.

It wasn’t long into the night when my new friends learned that it was my birthday. They bent over backwards to make the last few hours of the day extra special for me. Sneaking a hint to the waiter resulted in a big surprise of music and dessert at the end of our meal as everyone sang happy birthday. The entire night was one that I never would have expected. As we were driving back from what seemed like the end to a wonderful time, Elizabeth decided that she wanted to stop at Walmart, so we did. After spending an hour of laughing about all of the different CD’s and movies that we enjoyed, we finally made our way back to their homes. When we got to Tim’s house to drop him off, we all got out of the car, got in a circle and prayed together. Tim prayed for my ministry with Redemption, he prayed for my future, and he thanked the Lord for such a fun night. They got a birthday card out of the trunk of the car that they had bought at Walmart! Come to find out, while we were talking about music and movies, I was oblivious to the fact that they were all taking turns disappearing to go sign this birthday card. I was thinking at this point that this night could not have gone any more differently that I had expected, but soon after, we finally made it back to Elizabeth’s house and all I was thinking was that I was about to run out of time to talk to this lost person about Jesus. Looking back now, I can see how the Lord was clearing the scene for something extra special. Elizabeth and I sat in her living her, ate our dessert from Olive Garden, and began to talk about anything and everything under the sun. I began asking Elizabeth some different questions about her life and we quickly got on the topic of what she thought of Jesus, the church, and the Bible. She had so many questions that the Lord helped me to answer and it wasn’t long before we were sitting next to each other with our Bibles on our laps, going through the Romans Road together. Elizabeth knew that she was bound by the chains of Satan and that she needed Christ to save her. With tears streaming down her face she said how she wanted to be free. It was around one in the morning when Elizabeth prayed and asked Jesus to save her. It was then, that Elizabeth stepped from the darkness of Satan into the glorious light of our Savior.

It’s funny how God can bring four people together over some of Olive Garden’s pumpkin cheesecake and it result in such a night of precious memories. My ministry isn’t only on the stage with a microphone in my hand, it’s everywhere. I am so humbled to think that God would use me in such ways, but I am so thankful that He does. My 21^st birthday is one that I will never forget, not because I celebrated like the world told me to, but because I got to witness and be a part of a soul being freed from the chains of Satan. Elizabeth’s story, is definitely a story worth sharing.

Nine members, One God, One Purpose

Three countries, twenty-three states, over 65,000 miles, nearly 180 performances, 17 songs, 8 microphones, 9 members, 2 directors, 1 God, 1 purpose. The Word of Life Redemption Team of 2013-2014 was a year that I will never forget. It was a year that God used to teach me so much about who I am in Him, what it looks like to truly live out a life of ministry, and how to live with and travel with a group of sinners with one mind and one purpose.

As a team, we learned from each other. We learned how to be unified in Christ and we learned how to relate to and minister to people even when it didn’t come naturally all of the time. I am so thankful for my first year on the Redemption team not only because it was a fun year filled with laughter, traveling, meeting sweet people from all over the world, sightseeing, singing, eating great food, and creating great friendships, but because it was difficult. I was pushed and shoved out of my comfort zone in ways that I never expected as I went into the year. Struggles and trials formed throughout the year that I didn’t know how to deal with and looking back I see how I handled so many things the wrong way. However, I wouldn’t change one mistake because I can see now that God used that year to completely transform my life. I am still me but in so many ways, I am a completely different person right now then I was a little over a year ago. It was a confusing year for me, I didn’t always understand why things were happening the way that they were, but I can see now that it all makes sense in reverse.

Amidst the craziness of a year spent traveling fulltime, I can’t begin to express how we constantly saw God changing lives through the ministry of our team. Even staying in people’s homes each night was a blessing and an encouragement. I can’t fully describe the feeling that one gets when they walk into a church building or into someone’s home to find the people drained, broken, tired, struggling financially, or just plain struggling in general. At first one feels helpless and discouraged by what they see or hear but then, you remember the Gospel, the real reason you are there in the first place. You set up the equipment, sing all of the songs, do the skit, just like you would at any other place and you get a front row seat to watch the Lord work in the hearts and lives of all the people. I can’t count how many times pastors have told us how God had used our team to minister to the church in just the way they needed it the most or how many times parents or teens have come up to one of us and said how they could relate 100% with a testimony that was shared. The feeling of being used by the Creator of the universe to bring people to the knowledge of who He is or to be an encouragement to a struggling believer is the most humbling feeling that I have ever felt.

Needless to say, I am so very humbled and thrilled to have the opportunity to travel for a second year with the Redemption team. It has already been an awesome first month and I am so excited to see how the Lord continues to do His work through ten sinners saved by His amazing grace.

An Adventure is Worth Sharing

My name is Ashley Mickler, I am twenty-one years old, and I am from Saint Augustine, Florida, the beautiful state of Sunshine, Alligators, and sweet tea. I am currently living in northern New York state which is a lot different from home, but it has its own perks. The leaves change colors here and the weather doesn’t only consist of heat, humidity, and afternoon rain storms. There’s this awful white stuff that falls from the sky though for a good 7-8 months which I am not to crazy about, but it is absolutely gorgeous to see the first few snow falls.

What brings me all the way up to the Adirondack Mountains you may ask…well,
I work for the Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, New York. I travel with nine others all over the United States sharing the love of Christ and the Truth of His Gospel message. We use our talents in music to get into churches, youth groups, Christian Schools, and public schools. We believe that there are only two things that last in this world and those are the Word of God and the souls of men. So we have dedicated this year to ministry and we have seen the Lord do amazing things through our ministry experiences so far. These experiences are what I want to share with all who read this blog. I want to share about all of the opportunities that God allows us to experience. I may never get another chance to travel the world for a year sharing the love of my Savior, so why not write about it?