stupidity continues.

Conditions in Myanmar's Irrawaddy Delta in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis are growing more desperate, according to sources inside the country. The official government news agency has raised the death toll sharply, saying 78,000 are dead and 56,000 missing. Other sources place those numbers even higher, however, with the Red Cross setting the death toll at 128,000 and British officials sayingit may already have surpassed 200,000.

An estimated 2.5 million people are struggling to survive in the delta, and heavy seasonal rains are hampering relief efforts. The military government still refuses to admit large-scale outside relief, and relief organizations believe the body count could still rise dramatically. Reports are filtering out of desperate survivors mobbing aid shipments.

Visas for relief workers are still hard to come by, says Jeff Palmer, BGR executive director, and humanitarian organizations are exploring informal networks for getting relief into the country.

"Our Oklahoma team in Bangkok is designing disaster response and water purification modules to train Burmese nationals who will be taking the information and skills back with them," Palmer said. "We have opened a number of ‘fronts' for funneling aid materials into the most needed areas."

Details about the informal channels into the country cannot be shared publically because of the danger they would be shut down as a result, Palmer added.

"We have some in-country, on-ground resources helping with initial relief efforts and feeding us information," he noted. "They are helping us make more contacts and establish other channels for more aid to go in."

xenophobia challenged!!!

"The people here are survivors and have taken the initiative to clean up on their own. A few food stores have begun to open but I hear shelves are beginning to empty. There are few materials to repair the damage and what is around has doubled and tripled in price. "




if there was one phrase to describe the situation in burma today, it might be "xenophobia challenged". as the oppressed asian country sits with estimates between 50-100,000 dead and over 1 1/2 million "severly affected" by the disaster, somehow the government is still taking it's time to decide if foreign aid is necessary from all willing countries. the cyclone hit and devastated parts of this country on saturday and still a week later the problem hasn't been seen by foreign eyes. yes, pictures and videos can be found on google, youtube, and bbc news--but article after article lists the same common problems. aid workers aren't being granted visas. and meanwhile, people continue to die in burma.

"100 year old trees came crashing down." "our journalists are hiding in rice paddies, trying to cover this story. the myanmar government won't allow us to be here."


the facts tell us the following information:
*121 mile per hour winds roared through the city and irrawady delta
*thousands of people are dead, but not from this wind power. the deaths accumulated through a tidal surge that drove inland from the sea.
*the junta government has done very little to assist in clean-up and allocating of resources. most of the work being done to clear the debris is by monks and burmese people.
*relief planes are being flown and i refused entry to the country, having to turn around and go back to their home.
*there is widespread flooding, allowing no access to remote areas where the damage and death is the highest. roads are too impassable.

the internet reports that the aid of certain asian countries has been warmly received. china and india have gotten aid in. banglades sent 35 metric tons of high energy biscuits (= to 1/2 million biscuits), 7 tons of clothes, 3 tons of noodles, 1 ton of dry potatoes, 1 ton of water purifying tablets. laos apparently sent $20,000 US dollars ( i found that funny! ). Thailand, SIngapore, the list goes on and on.
and as laura bush and condoleeza rice slam the burmese government for failing to open it's doors to US aid, the junta stands on the other side of those doors, closing them more and more. as an american citizen i find the international relation tactics of our leaders to resemble a 2nd grader fighting with a classmate rather than a strategic, mature plan of action. our country, with the most aid and assistance to give, is making the distribution of that aid impossible.

meanwhile, volunteers like my friend ME (name not disclosed to protect her identity) are going 90 miles a minute to repair homes, factories, and structures destroyed by the cyclone. ME happened to be the manufacturer of very handy water purification pots made from the reddened clay of burmese soil. her other endeavors include scabies and lice soap, also useful after a flood. although her factory was destroyed in the city of yangon, she has her mind set on rebuilding in within the next few months and distributing these pots to families and villages, hoping to save a few lives. she also hopes to establish other factories in remote areas of myanmar so that this message of love and help comes to those the furthest away from the source.
(TO SEND SUPPORT DIRECTLY TO ME, CONTACT (800)999-3113, OR EMAIL WORLDHUNGER@IMB.ORG AND ASK HOW YOU CAN DONATE TO HER WORK. ALL YOU GOTTA SAY IS SHE WORKS IN MYANMAR AND SHE'S WITH THE IMB. THEY'LL BE HAPPY TO FIGURE IT ALL OUT FOR YOU).

another cool idea is giving to world vision. as of thursday, they were granted permission by the myanmar government to enter the country w. extra humaintarian help.


so...what will you do now? will you go back to your life, home, kids, work, and allow this information to blow in one eye and out the other, or will you act. cause here's the p.s. on my letter: the India Meterological Department (IMD) is recognized by the World Meterological Organization (WMO) as the regional specialized meterological centre. they are required to send out specific advisiories to all south east asian countries about storms such as this. and one of these was sent to myanmar, describing the location, severity, and movement of the storm.
the government did nothing with the information. AKA--the myanmar people had NO IDEA that cyclone nargis even existed, much less that it was heading for their doorsteps.

how would you feel if this happened to you??? what would you do???
to be honest, i'd be angry, hurt, sad, afraid, cold, wet, hungry, confused. but those things wouldn't really matter cause no one has time to care about how i feel. all we'd have time for is action. soooo, that's what i'm calling you to:

ACTION!!!!!


so, go and take action! hold hands with myanmar. believe you can make a difference. as peter said, "finally, ALL OF YOU, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."

thanks for reading. i send this out of love for you and for god and for myanmar. excuse my drama! it's how my mind works :)

ashley!!!

i got all my info from the following websites:
New York Times: "A Challenge Getting Relief to Myanmar's Remote Areas." 7 May 2008.
*BBC: "Will Burma's leaders let aid in?" 6 May 2008.
*India's Economic Times: Indian meteorological department advised junta 48 hours in advance , 6 May 2008.
*BBC: "Disaster tests Burma's junta." 5 May 2008
*Times Online: "Aid workers fear Burma cyclone deaths will top 50,000." 6 May 2008.

the land of oz.

the emblem of/the land i love/ is changing from a temple to a tragedy.

the country of myanmar, formerly burma, where i lived for nearly one year, is seeing devastation of all kinds. "the saffron revolution" which occured late last year showed us that what we thought we understood about this country was beginning to change...that the untouchable, venerable monks in robes who lined the city streets and provided the people with wisdom of the buddha were no more immune to the corruption of burma's brutal military regime. day after day monks were taken from their hostels and forced into the most excruciating of circumstances..being starved and beaten, and some even killed. that core commitment to buddhism that these men had began to wane, and their commitment to their country quickly died. injustice was rampant.
for years the people of this country have been denied their basic liberties, their basic "rights" as we call them in the west. democracy loomed on the horizon for half a century but still seems so far off. what damage this has done to the soul of this nation will only be seen in time.

but last week, tragedy of a new kind entered the area. natural disaster whirled, slammed, and pounded through the country. with a death toll rising by the day, no clean water to treat the injured or revive the thirsty, and no electricity to insure some means of communication or survival, the people face ever-increasing challenges. pictures haunt the internet of children needing hospital treatment, communities needing comfort and sustenance, chaos reigning again in the city streets. this chaos seems to be a more frequent presence in the lives of myanmar's people.

once a country sunk into the recesses of our world's mind, myanmar is now surfacing into our consciousness. and a government that never seemed to care for it's people is now saying it needs help to sort this problem out. this is a HUGE defeat of satan's army. as the doors to this nation begin to creep open, pray god floods in with power. i know this is our chance to make him known in one of the world's darkest corners.

do anything you can to help this situation. pray. give. send people. don't let yourself remain untouched by this reality. although it is not yours, it is someone's. and as god's people we are called to action.


for pics and other stuf go to --http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354088,00.html

missing.

this is poem's older sister, tricia. she's 17 and she is missing. since last saturday at around 7 pm when she stepped out to buy a cigarette until today no one has seen, heard or found her.
the mother is full of stress, and is trying to cope with tricia's 2 toddlers as well as her own 3 young kids...one of whom is poem and who has run away from home again.
this isn't the normal thing tricia does, according to her mom. she usually disappears for a few days and always says where she is going. she is on drugs, but this seems to be different than a drug binge.
she tried to make a missing persons case today at the police station, but in true south african police form, they told her to come back on sunday...maybe she'll turn up by then. frustrated and hopeless, i drove her home trying to speak about lighter things. but how do you get your mind off of your missing child?

please pray for tricia. i'm really worried, as are her friends and family. the options are slim as to where she could now be. also pray for her mother, jeanette, and her two children, josie (3) and mckayla (5).

shame.

the song of my heart these days. thank you to zana and the avett brothers.

capricorn in the sun.

poem and josie outside their home.



poem and i after many many moons.



baby ashley e. marco and her mom tessa.



me and my namesake, ashley elizabeth marco!!!



lynn and i.



lynn and mckayla.



mckayla, poem's neice.



baby ash times 2.



carlen and ashley.



macy, poem's sister.



me and tricia(poem's older sister) with her two kids mckayla and josie. to my right are lynn and annie. macy is in the red.



going to hollywood!



capricorn hair salon.



baby ash.



josie.



lynn, annie, macy, mckayla.



macy, ryan, mckayla.

our leshie.

this is leshwin, our little man. you can see such a strong resemblance between he and his mom. we took him a few afternoons to get him out of capricorn. you can see his broken leg sticking out of the tub, and his scars from the fire on his stomach. not to mention the huge gashes on his face when he fell (these things happen when your mom is a 17-year-old drug addict with another baby crying).

some of these are from me giving him a bath, and then ryan came home and they played with the balls i got him at target! tell us what to do, god! we are in love with this kid!

just laugh!

i'm sorry, i really hope this doesn't offend anyone. i just thought it was so hilarious and i feel like this all the time lately. please enjoy :)

tree.

The Lord God is strong and solid, amidst the slipping sand of life. As He teaches me his will and his love, the truth of life propels itself from every moment. The gentle man at the parking garage—how has life taught him to be so still and separated? The searching little girl, who sees the errors of the world with clarity, but chooses them as the excuses for her thoughts, words, and attitude.
The Lord God is so much more than we know. How do you express such a being? It cannot be done I am sure. Words do not exist that meet the needs of an adequate description of one sliver of his being or one second of his presence. How do you explain that which you feel so intensely that it paralyzes you? How can you use your body to do this, when your body chooses instead to express the gratitude and awe that stuns it into suspended motion?

my king is...

by dr. shadrach meshach lockridge.

"the bible says my king is a 7-way king. he's the king of the jews' that's a racial king. he's the king of israel; that's a national king. he's the king of righteousness. he's the king of the ages. he's the king of heaven. he's the king of glory. he's the king of kings. besides being a 7-way king, he's the lord of lords. that's my king. well, i wonder, do you know him?"

"david said, 'the heavens declare the glory of god, and the firmament showeth his handiwork.' my king is a sovereign king. no means of measure can define his limitless love. no far-seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of his shoreless supply. no barrier can hinder him from pouring out his blessings. he's enduringly strong. he's entirely sincere. he's eternally steadfast. he's immortally graceful. he's infinitely powerful. he's impartially merciful. do you know him?"

"he's the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world. he's god's son. he's the sinner's savior. he's the centerpiece of civilization. he stands in the solitude of himself. he's honest and he's unique. he's unparalleled. he's unprecedented. he is the loftiest idea in literature. he's the highest personality in philosophy. he is the supreme problem in higher criticism. he's the fundamental doctrine of true theology. he's the core, the necessity for spiritual religions. he's the miracle of the ages. yes, he is. he's the superlative of everything good that you choose to call him. he's the only one qualified to be our all-sufficiency. i wonder if you know him today."

"he supplies strength for the weak. he's available for the tempted and tried. he sympathizes and he saves. he strengthens and sustains. he guards and he guides. he heals the sick. he cleanses the leper. he forgives the sinner. he discharges the debtor. he delivers the captive. he defends the feeble. he blesses the young. he serves the unfortunate. he regards the aged. he rewards the diligent. and he beautifies the meek. i wonder if you know him."

"well, this is my king. he's the key to knowledge. he's the wellspring of wisdom. he's the doorway of deliverance. he's the pathway of peace. he's the roadway of righteousness. he's the highway of holiness. he's the gateway of glory. do you know him?"

"well, his office is manifold. his promise is sure. his life is matchless. his goodness is limitless. his mercy is everlasting. his love never changes. his word is enough. his grace is sufficient. his reign is righteous. his yoke is easy and his burden is light. i wish i could describe him to you. he's indescribable. he's incomprehensible. he's invincible. he's irresistible. well, you can't him out of your mind. you can't get him off your hand. you can't outlive him and you can't live without him. the pharisees couldn't stand him, but they found they couldn't stop him. pilate couldn't find any fault in him. herod couldn't kill him. death couldn't handle him, and the grave couldn't hold him. that's my king!"

"and thing is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever and ever and ever! how long is that? and ever and ever! and when you get through with all the forevers, then amen! good god almighty! amen!"

numbers 9:18-19, 23

" in this way they journeyed at the command of the LORD and stopped where he told them to, then remained there as long as the cloud stayed. if it stayed a long time, then they stayed a long time. but if it stayed only a few days, then they remained only a few days; for so the LORD had instructed them. "

--but when they stopped, God didn't stop directing them. he would always tell them what to do, give them instructions to build something, or just "wait". through moses, god would give them purpose and work. (imagine how foolish they looked, in the desert following a cloud for 40 years!!!)

--before jesus, we have a god who speaks audibly to a few chosen people, directed towards the israelites. after jesus, we have a god who speaks inaudibly to any person willing to believe in and listen to him, words tailor-made for each of us but with the good of all in mind.

i want to be one of those people who can wait as long as god stays in one place...i want to be that connected to his promises that i know as long as i'm with him, then i am in the right place. even if i don't move for 400 years.

candles by carol-light, and other christmas moments.

Ryan's early christmas present, a shirt made for him!



zana sportin' her africa skirt as she leaves this grand continent!



trees for sale near our house. they are a bit sad looking, but merry christmas charlie brown!



our lovely bookshelf, christmas decorations donated by ryan's grandma!



uncle scar stood in as our tree (he's an ex-street gangster aloe plant). there are all our gifts from family and stuff!



"candles by carol-light" as ryan kept calling it.




me in a dark wood with a candle.

for order from cape town.

i'm doing two things here: raising money for me and the huzzzband, and raising awareness of a few organizations/projects here.

1) beth uriel: http://www.bethuriel.co.za/home.htm
Home to 26 previously disadvantaged young men between the ages of 16 and 24, Beth Uriel, "House of Light" is committed to the passionate pursuit of independence for each of our family members. With Christian principles and family values at our core, the Beth Uriel family is dedicated to creating opportunities for those who would otherwise have none. Wrestling with issues of poverty, lack of education and the affects of HIV and AIDS on youth, Beth Uriel aspires to offer comprehensive care in every aspect of our program.

2) mekasi: http://www.mekasi.co.za/mekasi.htm OR www.myspace.com/mekasiMe'Kasi. It's who you are, it's where you come from...no matter where that is.
If you're new to this, 'Kasi' means locasie, location, township style, South African style. Some people are made in "The Locations" and eclectic, funky, locasie style comes easy...others have to borrow a little, and Me'Kasi is for you too!
Every Me'Kasi product you buy sends much-needed financial support to the Beth Uriel family, This Way Up and the projects in which they're involved. That makes you a part of the good things going on here, so “mekasi sukasi”, you're welcome anytime.

3) brown foundation: http://www.thebrownfoundation.co.za/
Rather than pumping more money into the Central Business District of Cape Town, in order to try and work towards getting the “street children” off of the streets, The Brown Foundation focuses on the disadvantaged communities in which the children come from. The Brown Foundation identifies and funds existing organizations and projects that are working hands on with youth at risk, building up structures of support for youth in disadvantaged communities, and, in turn, doing preventative work towards keeping children away from the streets.

4) ashley and ryan dalton: www.reflectioninwater.blogspot.com
any item that is not sponsored by mekasi or beth uriel is used to raise money for the dalton's and the brown foundation (created by ryan dalton).


come on down and pic your skirt/beaded thing out. we'd love to clothe you in our beautiful south african creations :)

some moments cannot contain words.

this was quite a special day for all of us. last sunday, november 25th, some of my favorite children in cape town were baptised. all of these kids live with john and trish roberts, my "boss" at the drug centre. about one year ago, their hearts were broken for the lives of these capricorn children, and one by one these kids have become a permanent fixture in the roberts' family!
it's so great to see god make something out of a horrid situation. i still recall vividly the morning i went to fetch penny for church and her grandmother swore at me and told me she was going to beat the crap out of penny now because of me. it was such a bad moment, and i felt SO overwhelmed. crying out to god, i asked for penny's deliverance. the next week, the roberts took her into their home. and now, a year later, she has been officially adopted and has become penny roberts!
and then there is brianie, whom i have countless nights of memories with, sitting with him outside his home, talking about his growing desire to leave the street, to leave capricorn, to leave drugs and gangs and anger, and to have a safe place. now, a year later, he's surfing and going to a youth group and wanting to be a pastor. he's such an amazing man.

i really want to thank john and trish, because they have been god's vessel for these kids salvation, both physically and spiritually. praise god for the photos that follow...


the baptism lineup: muhammad (soon to be adrian), brianie, mzwaki, jadine, and penny lane.


penny lane one year after she was adopted from capricorn. ain't she gorgeous?


brianie.


penny.


jadine.


adrian.


jadine the queen.


me and brianie.