Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” - John 11:25-26

Coming home never felt so good for Ashton Horn.

The journey – it was an emotional roller coaster.

“I’m just so glad to be back home, here in Davenport,” said Miss Horn, who teaches art and fifth grade at Trinity Lutheran. “I really have no desire to travel again.”

In July 2018, Miss Horn arrived in China to serve as a teacher. It was something she always wanted to do.

She taught kindergarten at a couple of private schools and was involved in teaching art club and German club after school.

“It definitely was different there,” Miss Horn said. “The one thing that stood out was that you really had no privacy.”

That only intensified, when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“You couldn’t go anywhere without documentation of a negative COVID test, and of course a mask,” Miss Horn shared. “If there was a positive test within a short distance of where you were living, they would barricade you in.”

For Miss Horn and her Chinese garden dog, Jenevieve, it was time to come home.

“God was nudging me and pushing me toward coming back home,” Miss Horn said.

The trip home preparations included securing permits, documentation, and a negative COVID test – all of these items were time sensitive.

"I just wanted to be home," Miss Horn said.

In May 2022, Miss Horn arrived back in the Quad Cities.

“For everything to line up perfectly, it was God,” Miss Horn said. “He was in control.”

In August 2022, Miss Horn was hired by Trinity Lutheran to serve as a teacher. She also became a Lutheran.

“I'm very thankful to start over with the Lutheran denomination and to be baptized by Pastor Golter," Miss Horn said. "It's a blessing to be here at Trinity, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity. I want to help the kids to continue to grow in Christ and to continue to grow my faith.”