wonderful ...

this week has been nothing short of that.

we broke off into our girls and guys nights on thursday, and it was a really amazing and encouraging time... and from what I heard the boys had an amazing time as well!

the girls enjoyed a lovely evening at the guest house - a beautiful old house owned by the camp with king sized beds, bathtubs, and a gorgeous view.  it was an evening which began with wild dancing and food, and then progressed to encouraging one another, sharing our struggles, prayer for each other, and being united as a group of women.  it was a night of being refreshed and celebrating together, and there was just so much love in that place.  

youth group on friday night was slightly discouraging.  it was 'connect group' night, so as a group we were to decide a week before what our group wanted to do.  the purpose is to get to know each other on a more personal level - as the entire group can be as large as 120 kids.  unfortunately, my we were confined to a small classroom with a couple of games, however my group was extremely hyper and it was a real struggle to be able to teach them rules to a game, let alone try to have them play it.  by the end of the night I ended up just taking them outside to disperse some of their energy, and then putting on a movie for them ...

 

on a different note ... Sunday morning bible study went really well!  I mentioned earlier that I had been frustrated with the curriculum, and had hoped to bring some more of what I had been learning to it... 

to give you some background on some of the girls, they are grade 7/8's and there thoughts very much revolve around boys, whom they refer to in code names such as "jellybean" and "sneakers".  I have found that they do not often pay attention, and it is hard to get them interested in what we are learning about.  in the spirit of the Valentine's dance they all went to on Friday night, I decided to leave our bible study open for discussion.  we read various passages in the bible on love, and discussed the difference between sacrificial love, and the way the world has perverted the concept of love.  we had a great discussion, and after bible study one of the girls shared a bit of her past with me and I was able to pray for her.  it was really encouraging for me, because I feel like in the past couple of weeks things have just been okay, and my girls did not relate very well to the content of the bible studies, so I was able to see some fruit!

in valentines day news, ONE OF THE KALEO GIRLS SHANNON GOT ENGAAAAAGED !!! so there is much celebration around here!  it is an exciting time!

this thursday at 4 o'clock in the morning, I am leaving for a youth conference at Briercrest called youthquake.  I am very excited, although at the same time feeling the weight of all the homework we have to do.

thank you for keeping me in your prayers!

blessings,

Erin

Psalm 151

This is a Psalm I wrote for my Christian Theology Course, enjoy !

Lost in the darkness, weak, alone

But LORD I feel that you are near

Your love surrounds me as the fog in the day, reminding me of your faithfulness

Your light shining through – the hope that finds me in you

 

Setting free the prisoners

You release them of their chains; shattering them into a thousand pieces

And with those shattered ruins, you create a masterpiece;

Beauty from the ashes

 

O to be held in the arms of the King; for who in the world would consider these chains a treasure?

Majesty, Abba Father, Faithful one

 

Can I remember a time where you were not?

Was it you who wept alongside me, O LORD?

Cradling me in your arms, a blanket of redemption

Your works O LORD are good

 

For it is in you that I will find refuge

Sovereign King, Lord above all, Saviour, Redeemer

 Friend

 

My hope is found in You O LORD, my king

 

Yahweh, You are faithful

And I find myself unworthy

friends,

Well thank you again for visiting my blog!

this week has been a really good one, and once again came up to surprise me, oh dear!

last week we took Old Testament Literature with Don Taylor.  I think I expected the course to be long and dry, but it ended up being such an amazing week for it, and I was able to really dive into the Old Testament, and interact with in a way I hadn't before.  Our whole group was involved in making a 30 minute video, in attempts to sum up the entire Old Testament.  We had an amazing time doing it ... I played the part of Jacob.  Last week definitely got me excited about reading and interacting with the Old Testament, and I think it has been my favourite class so far.  

My involvement in New Life continues to get better!  Last week we, as the Kaleo youth workers ran our own event!  Thank you again for your prayers!  There were about 100 kids in a small school gym.  We ran whole bunch of games, and with the help of a megaphone were able to run a very fun and successful event with lots of laughs and no injuries!  So thank you again for keeping us in your prayers!

Sunday morning bible study also went well, but lately I've been feeling like the material they supply me with is very shallow, and am hoping to plan my own bible studies for the girls ... I'm really excited to see how God can use me in this, and I truly do have a passion to reach jr. high age girls, when they are at such an influential time in their life.  

The other night we had an amazing worship night, where I was definitely challenged to evaluate my priorities, and to look at where I have been investing my time and attention.  It seems to me that I have been separating 'living' and being 'in worship'.  I was really challenged by the idea of what it means to live with those in collaboration.  To ensure that the way I am living my life is in fact glorifying to God, and my actions are a form of worship.  It is a concept I have spent a lot of the week reflecting on ...

This week I am exhausted; in almost every sense.  I am feeling the weight of many things.  Besides running on very little sleep, I am emotionally drained, and with India training, our mass of homework, and some other things I am working through I'm finding it hard to find rest in Him.  Please keep me in your prayers,

Erin

frieeeends!

heeeey.

It has been another wonderful week here, and once again I am astounded that another week has passed.  The time here goes by ridiculously fast -- I can't describe it, but every week I found myself shocked that the time has once again passed by.  

This week has been ... good.

We went to MissionsFest in Vancouver, which was a very new experience.  It was encouraging being in a group of thousands of people who are excited about missions, and feel called to spread the Gospel of Christ through the world.  There were a ton of great speakers, and I was able to attend some really convicting and inspiring seminars, including Tony Campolo, Marie Ens, and a man named Abraham Bible.  And that was actually his name.  By the end of the weekend I felt completely exhausted.  I guess  I was really challenged and forced to think about and face a lot of things in my own life, as well as hearing stories about the injustices going on in our world everyday -- it was enough to tire me out.

One thing that really challenged me, was hearing Tony Campolo speak, he compared the state of the economic meltdown to Babylon in Revelation chapter 18.  He challenged us to change our ways, and to stop buying into the ways of the world, but amidst all the chaos, to trust in the Lord, and do what is pleasing to him.  I guess I left this feeling firstly like a consumerist, but also having to question myself, when have I done things not because they are going to be comfortable, or normal in the eyes of the world, but solely because they will be pleasing to God?

I was able to spend a lot of time reflecting on that over the weekend, and have been attempting to redefine a lot of the ways I think and follow through with things.  We'll see how this goes.

Another really predominant theme of my time at MissionsFest was the country of Cambodia.  It was a complete theme of all my sessions and times spent speaking with organizations, and it seemed as if every time I would inquire about something, or go to a session, this country would somehow be a topic.  It is such a broken country, and one of the speakers referred to the people there as "sheep without a shepherd".  I feel like God is really giving me a heart for this place, and I am excited to see where he takes this.

This Sunday at NewLife I taught the grade 7/8 girls bible study once again, it went well.  It was about worry, and I found it so ironic as I anxiously prepared it, and reading it over had me completely calm down, breathe, and take a lesson from the material, as I was going to be teaching the girls "Trust in the Lord with all your heart".   That was something I needed to hear.  Always.  I love how a verse that I have grown up with can suddenly convict me completely as I stress about school work, raising money for India, and our clock that seems to be on fast forward.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

This Friday night the Kaleo's from NewLife are planning the youth for one hundred kids, in a gym.  As you can maybe imagine, we are feeling slightly overwhelmed.  Prayer would be completely appreciated.  

Thank You for reading, and for your prayers,

Blessings Friends!

Love Erin

in recent news...

well, I'll admit it has been a while,

and a lot has been happening here !

It has been an eventful week !

We had our 24/4 weekend of prayer, which for many of the group was both a blessing and a struggle.  I found that initially it was a struggle to quiet my heart for an hour in the prayer room, but this morning I was blessed with a 7-8 AM shift, and being able to spend an hour with the Lord, watching the sun rise over the ocean was a beautiful thing.  

Things have been going really well in my church ministry.  I have really been enjoying leading the Jr. High bible study on Sunday mornings -- I have really been able to connect with some of the girls, and I am finding that I have been looking forward to youth group and bible study, as I see the work that God is doing there.  

This Sunday at church, a speaker from the International Justice Mission came and gave a sermon about the work that is going on through that mission.  Hearing some of the stories brought me to tears, and the statistics we learned were unbelievable -- did you know that there are currently 27 million slaves in the world, which is more than the entire 400 years of African slave trade.  Pretty unbelievable to grasp.  The IJM sends people into dangerous places, rescuing girls from brothels, child soldiers, and bringing to light the injustices of the world.  As I sat in church on Sunday I felt myself completely overwhelmed and frustrated at the state of our world, and having the means to make a difference, feeling a pull towards missions abroad at some point.  

We talked in a chapel a couple of weeks ago about the future, and it seemed that so many of us feel a desire to bring light into dark places of the world, and JimBad was saying how it seems that Kaleo has 'ruined' us for a normal life.  I feel like I am full of big dreams and passions right now, and I think I fear the idea of settling for normality.  It is an exciting time!

We have had some really incredible chapels lately, and it has been so incredible to reflect on the drastic changes seen in our group.  There is so much love in this place, and I am trying my best to not take a minute of it for granted.  Family.

The India team has been meeting 3-4 times a week to work out and prepare our bodies and hearts for this upcoming trek.  We have also been reading a book about spiritual warfare, and learning just how real the realm we are entering into will be.  Please pray that God will multiply our efforts and prepare our hearts for this trip.  Pray also that God will be preparing the hearts of the people we are going to cross paths with, and that he will provide for our teams physical, emotional and financial needs.

Every Monday I find myself so surprised that another week has flown by.  The time here truly does fly.  It is crazy to think that I have spent over 5 months in this place...

Thank you for keeping updated!

Many Blessings!

Erin

back in the swing...

Well it definitely feels great to be back here!

Being at home was just wonderful!  So great to be back with family and friends, and relax, and I was able to connect with some really great friends at home that I had really missed !  As well as have some great and much needed conversations! Although ...

It was great to be reunited with my roomates, leaders, friends ... and of course, the mountains!

It has been good to be back at NewLife, and I am excited to have the opportunity to be leading a Sunday morning small group for grade 7 and 8 girls now, in the 11 AM service.  

My first small group was today and it went well, and I'm very excited about where this might go ! Youth on Friday night also went well, and I'm feeling much more a part of the church, and definitely excited to be involved.  We had another youth meeting and it feels like we are playing more of a role which is very encouraging !

I'm very excited to be leaving tomorrow morning for a 5-day ski trip in Mt. Washington.

Lately I've just been feeling so blessed !  I feel like I have gained a new perspective on things in my life that are in fact blessings, and seeing how God is making broken areas in my life beautiful, and I've been seeing more and more of his redeeming power in my life.  I have lately been overcome with joy and excitement with where I am in Him.

Tonight  I was indirectly asked to consider what is my greatest fear, and I feel like I don't know the answer to that right now, but I'm committing to really think about it,

Blessings!

Erin 

the end of November!

This week was wonderful!

the weather is getting colder, and it's exciting watching Christmas decorations going up around camp!

We had our Foundations of Church Ministry course with David Lee.  It was great to hear his perspective on the church as the body of Christ, and we were all impacted by his passion and love for the church.  I left that course feeling encouraged and excited about what we  learned about God's intended purpose for the church, and the role of the Body.  

This week at New Life youth group we had a photo scavenger hunt, as well as some games.  I led a Connect group and I have been able to connect with a lot of the kids in my group.  It's encouraging to see how big the group is gro

wing and to be able to be a part of that.

Sunday was also a very good day for me, the advent service at church was very good, and afterwards our group headed over to one of the pastors house and enjoyed lunch and good fellowship with he and his wife.  Following that, we headed to a seniors home in Duncan to help run a church service for the residents.  It was a great experience being a part of that, and I had the opportunity to sing worship at the front, which is something I haven't had much involvement in before, so it was really great!  I had some really great chats  with some of the residents as I wheeled a few of them back to their apartments, and I have learned that I have a real love for the elderly!  

God has been teaching me a lot about myself in the past week, and I have been challenged with the idea of sharing struggles with people here, and allowing the community to support me through hard times.  Please pray that I would continue to be pushed in regards to this, and that I would not take these opportunities for granted.  

I've just been feeling very blessed lately, and know that I have so much to look forward to!

Thank you for your support and prayers, friends!

Love Always,

Erin!

Amazing Grace

My chains are gone

I've been set free

My God my Saviour has ransomed me

And like a flood

His mercy reigns

Unending love, Amazing grace

Where to begin!

This week has been a changing one!  It was the 24/7 week of prayer.  There was a room set up, where we were all assigned 1 hour time slots a day, with the idea that no one ever left the room.  Some nights I would set my alarm for 4:00 AM, go downstairs, and have a very real hour of prayer.  For me I found that some of the times I felt God the most, was when I got up from sleep and gave myself to Him, out of my normal routine and with no distractions at all. What happened this week is difficult to put into words and bring justice to.  The Holy Spirit was moving in our hearts, and none of us left the room feeling the same as we had been entering.  We were able to be raw and real with God.  Wrestle through things, give Him praise and share in fellowship as a community.  In this one week we saw so many prayers answered, and the dynamics of our have group also changed, in terms of being able to become more real with each other, and being intentional about our conversation.This is something that had been on all of our hearts for the last little while.  Praise God!

This week had a lot of significance for myself.  On Monday in chapel, I was able to share my story- and be more honest than I ever have.  I can only describe what happened as the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  We were on the dock as a group, and as Jim was talking and opening chapel, my heart was pounding, and I could not hide my tears.I talked aloud about internal struggles I have faced on my own, and in voicing them, I felt walls I had built up crumbling down, and as I sat in the middle of 30 people who love me, I felt their hands come around me in love and support.  After I was finished speaking, the group put their arms on my and went around and told me how they loved me, followed by a prayer.  How do I sum up this most powerful and overwhelming experience in one word?

FREEDOM!

God is healing and shaping me.  I feel so alive in Him and He has become so tangible and real to me!  I am learning what it means to surrender.

The day after I shared my story I was in the prayer room by myself.  It is a beautiful room, with a window looking out to the ocean and beautiful mountains surrounding.  I was sitting in the window seat reflecting on what I had shared, and what God was doing in me.  As I looked out the window, I saw a storm in the distance, the mountain I had been looking at now had grey clouds around it, and the sky had become a grey colour.  I reflected on things in my past that had been dark and grey, and the storms I had been through.  As I continued to sit there, the sky began to clear up, within 3 o

r 4 minutes it had become completely clear and beautiful and the mountain was perfectly visible.  I left the chair for a few moments and when I came back I was at a loss for words.  The most brilliant rainbow was right in front of me.  The biggest and brightest I have ever seen- I looked the end of it came right out of the ocean that was in front of me.  Behind it formed a second and bigger rainbow and it was the most beautiful and remarkable thing I had ever seen.  Over the next 30 or 40 minutes, the rainbow disappeared, and a the mountain began to grey again- this time it was much less dark, and the rain was much less intense and the sky remained clear.  It was remarkable.  This was me.  

Little did I know, a friend of mine was downstairs, and had seen the rainbow also, and took this picture.

The rest of my week continued to be wonderful- I was able to serve coffee at a NewLife church event and spend the evening listening to a godly woman talk about her life and her struggles, and what God was doing in her life ... not to mention wear these AMAZING aprons!

Youth group this week was quite uneventful.  We had a night in a local gym playing dodgeball and other games.  There was no real message shared, but I led a connect group, and I am feeling like I am getting to know a lot if the kids in a more real way.  It was fun to have a night and just have fun with them, and see them interact.  I am enjoying getting to know a lot of the girls, and many of them are opening up to me.  On Sunday, one of the girls who recently moved came to visit!  She is someone I had been getting to know on a deep level, and I was very upset when I found out she was leaving, so it was great to have a chance to see her again!

We are in class once again this with Prof. David Lee.  It is ‘Foundations of Church Ministry’.  It is a very interesting course, and I am excited to learn about the church and God’s plan for it.

 

Thank you for your love and prayers!

Many blessings!

 

Love Erin

24/7 Week of Prayer!

Hello all!

We are currently in our 24 hour week of prayer, which is refreshing and amazing.  We have a room downstairs where there is always someone in there praying.  We sign up for one hour a day, and what happens is hard to explain!   The hour goes by so fast and it is a very focused and genuine time spent in God's presence.  God is really moving in Kaleo this week, and we are praying that our community would get to know  each other in a new and refreshing way.  Please pray that our relationships would grow to a whole new level with each other and that we would allow ourselves to be vulnerable and broken in front of each other.  Pray that we would struggle and be broken down, and be able to be healed on by Him!

Things are going well in my church ministry.  We have been so blessed to be invited for lunch with by some amazing and loving families.  Being in their homes it has just been so evident that God was such a part of their families, and it has affirmed in me things that are so important to have in a family of my own... someday!  I am feeling slightly discouraged, however,  regarding the youth group for a couple of reasons.   One of the girls who I have been getting to know in my youth group on a deep level- who I have had the opportunity to pray with and speak into her life a bit is going to be moving away.  This Sunday was her last Sunday at church, and it was very hard to say goodbye to her.  She will be coming to youth group once a month which is great, but I worry about how this move will affect her, and her faith.  She is such a strong girl, and I feel blessed to have been able to get to know her on such a deep level.  Please pray that she would find a church and her transition into her new school would be smooth and that she her faith would only be strengthened in this time!  Also pray that God would prompt and use me as a leader in the youth group.  That he would make me approachable and in that environment His love would shine through me.

There is also some tension in the leadership of the youth group right now.  I was in a meeting and able to see how two different visions for The Hunger were clashing, and my eyes were opened to the importance of godly leadership in a church.  Please pray against any disunity in the leadership of the church, and that He would be in that situation.  Also, please pray for our roles, as New Life Kaleo students in this situation, that we would be sensitive and willing to be used.

On a more personal note, God has been speaking Freedom into my life in such  powerful way!  Pray that he would continue to shape and mold and transform me.  That my story would be his story, and he would use my life to bring glory to his Kingdom!

Thank you for your encouragements, and your prayers, and your faithfulness!

God Bless!

Love Always,

Erin

6:30...AM

...

is the time I went to bed on saturday night, well Sunday morning this week.    

I pulled my first almost all-nighter-working on homework- but I'd like give a shout out to the fall-back daylight savings that gave me one extra, much-needed and appreciated hour of sleep!  

All in all, I have had an amazing week.

We completed our Hermeneutics class.  It was very interesting, a

nd I know we all appreciate the new perspective we have gained on how to read the bible.  Our week project was to, in a group of 7 create a 15 minute presentation on a book of the bible- ours was 1 Peter- using our own creativity and little structure.  We dissected the book, and our initial reaction was to create a flashy video, using a high-tech camera and editing software.  We probably spent about 6-7 hours filming our video, and had planned to stay up as late the night before we were presenting.  We plugged in our camera to the computer, and it didn't work.  We tried about 4 different computers, and neither of them would work.  So we got a new camera, and another one- didn't work.  By this point it was about 1 o'clock, and we had 9 hours to pull something together.  We sat quietly for a few moments and one of my group members suggested we pray.

and so we prayed...

It was clear that God had in mind something much different for our representation of I Peter.  In about 15 minutes of discussion we came up with the idea to stage a coffee shop, with live music and hot chocolate. Our group was humbled by the experience and it was so cool to see how he works in that way.  And we were also blessed by a great nights sleep before it was presented.

Another blessing this week was a surprise visit by some Briercrest boys from Kaleo 5.  They spent the week with us, and great conversations were had, and encourage

ments were given and received.  At the end of the week we were able to hear a bit of their testimonies, as well as how far they'd come since Kaleo.  When asked to sum up in one word of advice something for our Kaleo experience, one of them challenged with the word

STRIVE

Being in this beautiful environment, with wonderful teaching, and a amazing friendships, it is very easy to get comfortable.  That word really resinated with me and I felt like it was something I needed to hear; to be encouraged to be stretched, and to not get used to the amazing community I am in.  Thanks Kevin;

This week at youth group...

 

Our church hosted a safe alternative to halloween; Trunk or Treat.  Cars trunks were decorated, and kids went around a circuit within the church parking lot.  My role was to be security for the night, but freezing outside in my Raggity-Anne, I came inside to get warm, and it was clear that God had something different in mind for me that night.  Sitting on a couch, I was able to talk with, cry with, and pray with one of the girls I've been getting to know over the past couple of months.  Our struggles were brought up, and it was amazing to see how God is using my story to encourage others, and he is using areas of my past for his Glory.  I continue to feel blessed at my church, and a part of the team.  They are looking into getting us a van so that some of can make it to the early Sunday service.  It's been on my heart to lead a small group Sunday mornings with the grade 7/8 girls, so prayer for that would be great.  

the term Fellowship is another thing I have been learning a lot about this week.  I was having a conversation with one of the Kaleo interns, Jordan at the beginning of the week, and after I think I said something about having toast crumbs left in the butter, he brought up that his pet peeve is the misuse of the word.  I think that so often the word fellowship is tossed around about Christians spending time together, but in reality light conversation does not make it fellowship.  But rather being intentional in conversation, and using our time together to bring glory to God.  To say the least, I was challenged to experience authentic fellowship this week.  

In some wonderful conversations I had with many Kaleos, a family from New Life who had us over for lunch, and spending time in Victoria, talking with the homeless today- I was able to experience this fellowship as God intended it to be. 

Some things to pray for this week: that God would bring clarity to the destination of my mission trip next Spring.  That I would continue to be challenged at Kaleo and in my ministry, and mostly just praise to God!

He is so good.

Like I said, I have had amazing week.

MUCH LOVE !

Erin