In 2022, Ashley Britton flew to Brisbane, Australia, to work with Uni Impact. Ashley was an award-winning lacrosse player during her years at High Point University. Since rugby and cricket dominate Australian sports culture, Ashley never expected to play lacrosse during her two-year commitment. She looked forward to using her other ministry gifts at the University of Queensland. She was surprised to spot a registration table for the university lacrosse team during her first days on campus.
A student named Lin was manning the sign-up table that day due to a last-minute schedule change. She eagerly talked with Ashley about their shared love of lacrosse. This led to an invitation to join the team, even though she wasn’t a student. They began meeting to “pass around” each week. They would talk about their lives as they played, sharing what had brought each to Brisbane. Lin had grown up in Singapore, but her parents had met at university in Brisbane she had followed in their footsteps. Ashley told Lin that she had come to share the love of Jesus with students on campus.
“Sometimes I feel too close to the action! The Holy Spirit is moving, and I’m just trying to keep up.” — Ashley Britton
Their relationship quickly shifted from teammates to friends. Ashley invited Lin to join her at Uni Impact events, and her exposure to the body of Christ expanded. Lin realized that the love shown by Christian communities differed from any love she had seen before — it wasn’t JUST Ashley! Eventually, she attended church and then signed up for the Summer Beach Project the week before it began.
Ashley was taking a small team to Thailand for the summer and wasn’t there when COVID-19 spread through the Beach Project the first week. Lin was one of the first to get sick. Because of this, she received individual training in studying God’s Word and had plenty of time to read and learn while quarantined. On the last night, Lin shared with her new friends, “He saved me. God came to me, and He saved me.” That night, angels rejoiced in heaven while the girls had a dance party in Lin’s room!
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