My Journey to here

Ashley Muller

I was 14 when I became a Christian, and my journey has come with lots of challenges and temptations along the way…

I felt God call me from a very young age but I tried running away which saw me get into a lot of drinking and drugs – which wasn’t a good thing as I come from a family with a history of addiction. It caused an ugly spiral, and this was my life for most of my teen and young adult years.

But everything changed for me one month before I moved to New Zealand from South Africa. After a few drinks with some friends, we thought a car race would be a great idea. While driving at 180km ph on a road with an 80km speed limit, the friend I was racing drove in-front of my car and hit a pothole. Our cars clashed, we both spun out of control and we totalled both cars. When noise, smoke and adrenalin settled and we saw the paramedics, I heard the words “is someone dead?”. These words shook me because I could hear in their voices that from what they saw, one of us should be dead. But by the grace of God, none of the 4 people in our cars were injured badly. Hearing those words made me realise I was wasting my life and I knew that I had to run back to God.

I moved to Hamilton NZ a month later, and within 3 days of landing I attended Activate Church, or what was called Eastside at the time. That night I experienced a very friendly and welcoming greeting from Pastor Jan, and it made me feel instantly that this was gonna be my family's home church.

Fast forward to 13 years later, I am married to the beautiful Gaby with 3 amazing kids and we are still wholeheartedly invested in Activate and I love serving as the Activate Intermediates Team Leader role.

The biggest lesson I have learned from this is the run towards God and not away from him. God never left me and it felt more comfortable being in His presence. Keep pressing in and serve with a joyful heart.

God Bless and come say when you are next at church.