Ashley Moore moved to Panama in September of 2021
BIG DECISIONS
Ashley Moore took a few minutes to recall God’s leading to Panama and how it started with a prayer to find a friend who was like-minded and strong in her faith. God answered that prayer when she met Emily Puckett on a missions trip to Guatemala. Ashley was also praying about becoming a missionary. Her story is simple in the sense that there were no lightning bolts from heaven or parting of the clouds. Instead, she prayerfully made plans to go to the mission field. Then she and Emily decided to go to Panama where Emily had served in the past, and where Clifford and Mary Suddeth have planted a church. Above: Ashley has visited the Wounaan community several times since she moved to Panama.
God's Leading isn't always easy
"It was difficult to realize people's lives move on without you.
That you aren’t part of the day-to-day events and celebrations," Ashley said.
Now that she's been on the field for several months, Ashley was honest about the difficulty of missing her family. But she knows it's God's plan, and an answer to prayer. Ashley had been praying about being a missionary since she was in college. She also takes comfort in what Paul wrote to the Romans. "That we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine," Romans 1:12. God is answering that prayer through friendships with Emily and the Suddeths, and through the work God's given her to do in Panama. She's also encouraged by recounting God's faithfulness to her.
Ashley asked for prayer to grow in humility, patience, and security in her relationship with God. And for her to master Spanish. Although she's studied Spanish off and on for ten years, she is still working on the language since the dialect is different. This will help her as she works to form relationships and disciple young women in Panama.
Below: Emily Puckett and Ashley Moore on their way to visit the Wounaan community. They both joined Clifford Suddeth's church in Panama, Iglesia Bautista Costa Verde.
