Ashley Al Saliby grew up in Texas. She spent five years in full time ministry for teen girls. She has lived in Lebanon and currently lives in Switzerland with my husband and kids, volunteering with preteen and teen girls at her local church and just released a brand new book for Christian teens called, "My Refuge." She wants so much for teen girls around the world to know that Jesus is worthy of all your heart and all your trust. On today's episode, Ashley talks a little about each of the 4 characters in her book from different countries and different walks of life, and how they all felt imprisoned by the circumstances in their lives. Eden is a 15 year old from Houston, Texas and is in the ICU waiting for a heart transplant. As she's looking at her social media, she's seeing how all of her friends are living life and her life is on hold and she's having a hard time fighting bitterness and anger. Zahra is a 15 year old form Syrian living in a Syrian refugee camp. Life as she knew it was completely uprooted and now she's fighting dispair as she feels her life will never be the same again and the dreams she had for her life are now never going to happen. Mei is a 15 tear old Chinese Christian living in Canada and is in the midst of some of the hardest restrictions during the pandemic. As life for Mei is moved online, she is now fighting temptations that she never faced before...especially when a classmate of hers, a guy she has a crush on asks her to send her inappropriate pictures online. Katya is a 15 year old in Ukraine and as war breaks out, she finds herself hiding in a bomb shelter, fearing for her life. She struggles with fear, panic attacks and anxiety not knowing what her future is going to hold or if she'll be safe. Even though your story may not be the exact situations that you or your friends might be facing today, you might find that you can relate to these girls...the struggles that they are facing...and the emotions that they are walking through. But in the midst of all these stories...and in the midst of your story, it may feel like you're being imprisoned by your circumstances, but God is pursuing you with hope! He doesn't want you to walk through this alone! Learn how. you can overcome any circumstance you're facing as you listen in to this week's episode of the UncommonTEEN Podcast. CONNECT WITH ASHLEY! IG: @ashleyalsalibywrites Website: ashleyalsaliby.com Amazon Link: My Refuge Book UncommonTEEN Live Tickets are on Sale! Grab your tickets today at UncommonTEEN.com! UncommonTEEN Merch is available at UncommonTEEN.com. Connect with Us! Website: UncommonTEEN.com Instagram: @uncommon.teen UncommonTEEN Live Conference: UncommonTEENlive.com