Be.

Hi beautiful people! Welcome to my YAGM year blog. I am so happy you are here!!

To each person reading this, I want to say thank you. Thank you for your support, whether that be through prayers, thoughts, encouraging texts or donation. I have felt incredibly loved throughout this entire process and I am so blessed!

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My cohort and I have made it to Cambodia! Woohoo!!

From left to right: Khom (employee at Lutheran Hope of Cambodia), Katie, Carolina, Espen, Hannah (our country coordinator), Ashlyn, and Tim! Hannah gifted us all with a “krama,” which is a traditional garment Cambodians wear for many different uses.

We have been here for about a week and a half, yet it feels like much longer. For the first month we are staying in the capital of Phnom Penh with our country coordinator. This first week has been full of visiting sites in the city, trying Khmer food, learning about the history of Cambodia and exploring! On Wednesday we started our four week language class. It has been challenging, yet rewarding. But, before I get into all things Cambodia, let’s backtrack to the (sort of) beginning of this journey!

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On January 1, 2024 I decided to have a word for the year. I had no idea what this word would be. I prayed for God to place a word on my heart that would be fruitful for the year ahead. I urged myself to be patient. God would present this word when it was right. Fast forward to the first day of spring semester and I still did not have a word. For the first time I began to grow impatient. It was my last semester of college and I was not really sure what my next step was going to be. My mind was racing with all the things that needed to be completed. Where is the word I asked God for? Then, that night I went to a recharge yoga class. Every class the teacher offers an intention at the start of class. I am lying on my mat, mind still racing when she says “Be, just be, B.E.” My mind halts and it hits me. My 2024 word is “Be.” The perfect reminder to BE in the moment. BE where God leads me. Fast forward to our first LCM worship of the semester and guess what our passage is - Psalm 46 “Be still and know that I am God,” which also happens to be my late grandmother’s favorite Psalm. Even as I am writing this I get chills. Be became my word. God placed it on my heart. So, as I started thinking about my next step after graduation and began my application for YAGM, I consistently went back to the word “Be.” I put my trust in God, knowing that wherever I am supposed to be, God will lead me there. 

The top right sticky note was on my computer this year. Now, it is in a special book of notes and photos my older sister, Hundley, collected from family and friends for me to look at for love and encouragement during this year!

After being accepted into the YAGM program, I headed to Chicago for discernment and placement (DIP) weekend. This is where I would learn my country of service, meet fellow YAGM volunteers and attend various information sessions. My two countries were Mexico and Cambodia. To be honest, I had never really heard of Cambodia before my interview and I was hoping to get Mexico because of the comfortability of being closer to home. It is Friday morning and the time has finally come. I am sitting in the back row, knees bouncing, fiddling with my rings, secretly hoping to hear “Ashlyn Rhyne - Mexico,” while also having this weird feeling I will hear “Ashlyn Rhyne - Cambodia.” Obviously, I got the latter. It was immediate tears and the question of “Why God??” 

That night Mae Helen, director of the YAGM program, gave the sermon at worship. I bet you’ll never guess the verse she preached on. Psalm 46 - “Be still and know that I am God.” Wow. It was as if God was speaking directly to me. It hit me just then that I had totally forgotten my word for the year. I had been too concerned about what I wanted and the plan I had for myself. Mae Helen’s sermon reminded me that it’s not about me and in fact it’s so much bigger than me. God’s plan may be the complete opposite of what we had planned for ourselves, but God has a reason for it all! So, I reminded myself to be. Be in the discomfort. Be in fear, and also be in faith. Be in the questions. Be in the wonderings. Then, be in the beautiful discoveries and know that God will meet us where we are to take us where we are meant to be. 

So, as I finish writing this blog in a small coffee shop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia looking out the window at a beautiful, wonderful city that I would never have been able to experience if it weren’t for trusting God, I invite you to take a moment, where you are, to be. Be in the in between, be in the good, be in the bad, be in the stillness. 

“Be still and know that I am God.”

“Be still and know that I am.”

“Be still and know.”

“Be still. “

“Be.”

I am overjoyed that you all are on this journey of faith with me! Thank you for accepting the invitation to walk alongside me. <3

Here’s to continuing to spread God’s love and light! 

Sending you peace & all my love,

Ashlyn :)