Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

[01/25/25; Sony fx3] 

Foreword:  I’m so excited to share something very special on the blog today.. my very first feature written by the amazing Avery Ashdown! Over the past few months, I have had the privilege of collaborating with Avery, whose voice and perspective bring a fresh depth to what this space is all about, all things Jesus and travel. In a meaningful way, Avery chose to write about her time in London, a place close to my heart. It also happens to be where we first met briefly at a Christian event filled with street evangelism, worship, and testimonies. That was the first time I heard Avery’s story, and I was struck by her gift for storytelling and reflection. I’m so grateful for the care she poured into this piece and for the way she shares her journey so authentically. I also want to give a huge thank you to Olivia Lee for helping put this together, and another HUGE thank you to Avery for the time and effort poured into this piece. All glory to God! I know her words will encourage you just as much as they encouraged me.

-Johnny “Diamond” Carau  And now, without further ado… Avery Ashdown! 💎

Opening:

Hi! My name is Avery, and this is a little snippet of my life from when I went to London for a GenZ worship night. This night consisted of several different ministry organizations including the HowToLife Movement, Circuit Riders, The Send, and Global Network of Evangelists. I was invited over to share my testimony to some of my fellow Londoners, in hopes that what Jesus has done in my life would spark an awakening in theirs. There have been talks of a God revival happening in London, and I was stoked to hear that more people were not only becoming more “spiritual”, but that they were completely giving their lives to God!

The plane ride over was surprisingly only a little more than 8 hours. However, when we landed there, it was about 4 am Eastern Standard Time, and I was SO jetlagged. This was my second offical time being in London, the first being when I was 12 on a family trip. Unlike from back then, I didn’t have a palace guard yell at me, nor did I set off any alarms (12 year old me got into more trouble than I should have).

I was welcomed into a host family’s home, and it was so sweet to enter into the lives of someone else, while learning some history.. My last name is Ashdown (a very English last name), and almost no one in the United States has this last name. I found out that this name is quite more popular over there, and they even have an Ashdown Forest in Sussex, and an Ashdown House in Oxfordshire. Fun fact: Winnie the Pooh takes place in Ashdown Forest. I was ecstatic to learn more history about my last name.

I grew up in Florida, and I will say, London weather is the complete opposite of that. I HARDLY saw the sun… so I prayed to see it! Low and behold- the sky cleared up 10 minutes later and we got to see the sunset!! This was such a crazy, cool experience because even something so small, God cared about. And although He didn’t have to, He gave me the desires of my heart to see the sun, which made me feel less homesick.

I got to walk all around the city, after having a whole day to sleep and catch up from the jetlag, of course. I saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the London Bridge, the Tower Bridge, had the experience of eating fish n chips, and more!! I also got to eat dinner on a rooftop restaurant, that had a view of the whole city. The view was so beautiful, I felt so welcomed in, and was very grateful that God had opened a door for me to be able to be a light and minister to this city.

Rachel’s family was my second host home, and I was very pleased to find that they had the cutest, fluffiest little creatures (I love cats). They were indeed my welcome gift from God.

Then came the night of ministry, I was just praying that the Holy Spirit would fall upon the room and that the Lord would speak out of my mouth, that I wouldn’t even be the one speaking. It was amazing. The worship, the testimonies, and I got to have several conversations with those impacted, including some nonbelievers.

I definitely felt the impact of Isaiah 41:10, with the courage of God from this night. I felt Him holding my hand, I felt Him with me, helping and strengthening me. I was told that I changed people’s views that night on living in light of eternity. There were people who realized they needed to give God their whole life, and not just part of it. Because I was willing to step outside of my comfort zone and be obedient, God moved. There was even another young man there this night, who wrote an article about how he witnessed the shift in the room, and how Christians were waking up to the reality of the Gospel. I prayed with several individuals who wanted a change in their lives to be unapologetic in their faith towards Jesus.

This trip gave me a heart for London, and I definitely want to come back. I was leaving this city with more brothers and sisters in the Lord. I had more experience and, ultimately, an authority that if God was with me, upholding me with His righteous, right hand, that anything was possible.

I got the privilege of staying until Sunday and going to a local church that many young people attended. The service was very moving and beautiful. I also went evangelizing with some friends in Camden, London. I believe I left encouraged and driven to continue forward, running the race of life until I am old or when the Lord calls me home.

Closing:

Jesus doesn’t merely care about what you do for Him, He just wants your heart. Even if it is out of your comfort zone, do it scared, and God will meet you there. The thing is, God doesn’t use perfect people. He often uses the ones that society or the world rejects. You don’t have to have it all together, in fact, He loves when we are so undone that we rely on Him for everything- His righteous right hand upholding you. All you need to do is say yes. So truly, there is nothing to be afraid of when He is with us. Because if God is for you, who can be against you?

JESUS IS WORTHY OF YOUR YES!

Reflection:

Are you living your life in light of the temporal, or in light of eternity?

Do you trust that God will never fail you, especially when you are afraid?