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

Heeeey!

It has been another great week here.  We are once again in a full week of class, Hermeneutics and Professor Merrill Dyck is here from Briercrest.  This past week was spent mostly around camp, and doing homework.  On Wednesday we had the opportunity to go back to the S.A.L.T.S tall ship we stayed on in September and help them to winterize the boat.  We spent most of the day sanding and varnishing the boat to get it ready for winter.  Over all it was a very fun day and it was great to have a chance to see the crew of the ship again.

This week, in my ministry at New Life youth group, we hosted a spag

hetti dinner and auction for the entire congregation.  Needless to say it was a very long and hectic night, and our youth group raised nearly $6000.  It was really cool to see the youth working together under a lot of pressure in order to pull off such a successful night.  I am really getting to know some of the older girls in the youth group, and some of them are feeling comfortable enough with me to confide in me about their lives and some of their stories.  My eyes have really been opened to the Cowichan Valley and the brokenness within it.  I feel that God is has given me a passion for teen girls in these situations, and I pray that God will continue to use me in the lives of these girls.  I'm learning a lot from my involvement at New Life, and God is really softening my heart and refining me as a leader in the youth group.

This upcoming week will be spent immersed in hermeneutics, and Friday night at youth group I will be helping out with the halloween event, "Trunk or Treat".

Please pray for my involvem

ent at my ministry, that God would use me to continue to build trusting relationships with the youth, and please pray for us as students that we would really delve into scripture this week, and get the most out of homework.

Many blessings,

LOVE ERIN   

the latest...

Hey guys !

Well it has definately been an interesting week here.

It's crazy to think that we've been here for nearly 6 weeks.  I have been feeling nothing but the overwhelming support and encouragement from our community in the last week, and I feel so blessed to have a glimpse of what God intends for the body of Christ here on earth.  

This week we split into boys and girls and had overnights.  While the boys went to JimBad's house barbequed steak, and played video games, our group of girls drove to Nanaimo and stayed at a beautiful beachfront property, where we shared in fellowship.  We began the night with Indian food and ice cream, and by the end of the night we were able to open up with each other and share in our struggles.  Being in this environment built me up in a very constructive way, and I was able to open up to the group in a way I hadn't been comfortable before, and share vulnerabilities I would normally not be prepared to.  It is clear to me that God is breaking down walls I have spent my life building up, and my heart is in a very real and raw place right now.  Please pray for protection as God is moving in my life, that our group would continue to be authentic with each other, and that God would continue to break down walls.

This week at my church our youth group had a monthly event called 'The Hunger'.  There were over 150 youth who showed up, and it was the biggest turnout this church has ever had.  The night began with singing some secular music, and then a speaker came up talking about how God meets us in our brokenness.  Many of the kids who showed up have never been to church before and are seeking.  Please pray that what happened at New Life would resinate with them, and they would continue to seek.  On a personal note, I was able to really connect with a few of the youth on Friday, and I am becoming more aware of the hurt being experienced by the community of the Cowichan Valley.  On Sunday we were invited to Pastor Mark's house for lunch, and we were blessed to share in fellowship with his family.  He has been challenging me personally with his speaking, and it is great to see how he lives out what he speaks on.  

On a personal note, school is really picking up and I am feeling the pressure of deadlines, and struggling with balancing schoolwork with social things, as there is always something fun and exciting going on here!  

Thank you for your prayers!

LOVE ERIN

ahh !

hello !

I'll start off by letting you know that this week I learned to surf !

Our group traveled to Tofino for 3 days where we camped out by night and surfed by day.  After  being smashed around by the waves a

nd inhaling litres of salt water, I was able to get up on the board and the feeling was unbelievable !

Alivia, Daneille and I.

Our group at the very beginning.

Our group dynamics have begun to change, and we've been becoming a lot closer.  In our chapel, we have started to share our testimonies with each other, and our relationships with each other are becoming much more than surface level, and I am finding that our community is a very safe place to be open with each other and share God has been laying on our hearts.

This week at my church ministry I was involved in jr. youth group.  The theme was "stone soup" and every child was asked to arrive at church with a vegetable.  We made a soup from scratch and froze it to send to the homeless shelter.  After we made the soup, I was able to lead a 'connect group'.  The kids are really opening up to me, and I am feeling a lot more comfortable in my role in the youth group.  I have also had the opportunity to connect with a few of the older girls in the group.  I'm feeling very encouraged about the year at New Life, and I appreciate all of your prayers.  

Please pray that our group would continue to grow with each other and be stretched beyond our comfort levels.

Much love !

Erin 

hey there !

Many of you will be happy to know that I have completed my first official week of college class.  Marv Penner was here from Briercrest for the week, and we were immersed in the study of spiritual formation.  We learned about and were able to try a whole bunch of spiritual disciplines that I had never done before, such as Lectio Divina, and meditation.  Our final task on the last day was to spend 2 hours with God, using any of the disciplines we had talked about.  It was definitely a great way to conclude our course with Marv, and I was able to really experience Gods presence.

I am definitely feeling more and more connected to New Life these days.  The sense of community there really is amazing, and I've been blessed to be able to get to know a many more of the congregation.  This week, at youth group we had a games night.  It was just the grade 7 and 8s, and there were about 50 of them.  I was able to meet quite a few of the kids, but I was also noticed some bullying and kids not being accepted into the youth group.  I was also able to connect with one of the youth in the church, and I realized the broken homes that so many of these children come from.  It was an eye-opening night for me, and I feel like I am more aware of the needs of this youth group.  Please pray that I would continue to connect and build relationships with the youth at New Life and I would become more comfortable in my role in the church.  

Love,

Erin 

AHOY !

I'm writing this entry today as an official Junior Sailor.  This past week, our Kaleo group had the opportuntity to spend five days at sea, sailing on the beautiful Pacific Grace, through a program called SALTS (Skills and Life Training Society).  It is a 138 foot replica of a ship from the 1700s.  Some of the practical skills we learned were hoisting sails, tying knots, dropping the anchor, steering the ship, and of course waking up before the sun to swab the deck.  In the evenings we got together and as a group we had something called 'mug up'.  We played games and had worship and and were able to share in fellowship.  Our group was able to bond while working together to run the ship.  We were challenged on the first day to spend time being quiet, and to look for God during our experience.  We felt his power in the wind in the sails, and his presence as we sang worship at night.  

On one of our last nights, Jim, the Kaleo director challenged us to name each other.  The idea of this was similar to how Jesus named Peter.  Jim explained that the names we were inspired to give each other may not fit or feel right at the moment, but we should be encouraged to grow into them.  The name given to me was 'freedom'.  The word freedom hit home for me, as I feel like for a long I have lived safely and comfortably, but my hope is that I would step out this year and live freely in Christ.  I have been getting glimpses of freedom this week, and I can feel God moving in my heart, and challenging me.  Please pray that I would learn what it means to truly be dead myself, and living freely in Him.

The first picture is our group after 5 days at sea, the second is me after climbing to the top of the main beam- about 80 feet up, and the third is our beautiful boat, Grace.

In terms of my ministry at New Life church, this Friday I was able to go to a wave pool party at a pool in Duncan.  The invitation was extended to all the churches in the Cowichan Valley, and the turnout was remarkable- nearly 400 kids.  I feel that I have been able to connect with a couple girls from the youth group, however I have been feeling a little overwhelmed, in that there are over 90 kids at NLCBC youth.  Please pray that I would continue to connect with the kids, and my range of influence would broaden.  I am finding the teaching at New Life to be challenging and refreshing.  The community there is very welcoming, and my group was blessed to be invited to another family's house for lunch after church yesterday.  I was also able to take communion and receive prayer from some of the elders in the church.  

Many of you will be happy to know that I have officially started college classes.  My first class was today.  We are learning about spiritual formation, and our professor is Marv Penner.  This course is very personal, and we will be learning and discussing spiritual disciplines and how to apply them to our lives.

It's been an amazing week!

Thank you for all your prayers,

Much love,

Erin

4-1-1

Hey Guys !

I'll just take a moment to fill you in on what I've been up to since I've been here.  My Kaleo group consists of 27 amazing students from all over Canada and some from the states.  While we're here, we split our time between taking courses from Briercrest Bible College, being connected to ministry through a church/camp and the community, and hanging out and enjoying some pretty crazy adventures.  This week we spent 3 days hiking up Mt. Albert-Edward in Strathcona Park.  Our group split into 5 groups of 5-6 students and we climbed, cooked and lived together for three days.  On the second day of the trip, our 5 groups met up, and we hiked t

o the summit together.  Reaching the top of the mountain together was definitely a moving experience, filled with hugs, tears and the view was completely breathtaking.  We prayed together at the top of the mountain and our group made our way back down rejuvenated & refreshed, feeling able to take on anything.   .  

This is a picture of my wonderful group on the day we reached the summit !

This experience not only brought us closer together as a group, but it helped us to rely on each other and more importantly on God.  Other than a couple cases of beaver-fever, and some pretty bad blisters, we left Mt. Albert-Edward in high spirits and feeling unity within our group.

Since being here, we've had the opportunity to become involved in a church family.  I'm going to a church called New Life Community Baptist Church http://www.newlifechurch.bc.ca/.  It's one of the biggest churches in the Duncan (region surrounding Camp Qwanoes) area.  The congregation is about 600-700 people.  There are four pastors, one of them being Mark Buchanan, who is a well-known author.  The church is a lot bigger than I'm used to, and at the beginning I was intimidated by its size, but there is a real sense of community at New Life, and there is even a sign up sheet for families to have us over for lunch every single sunday after church!  There are 6 Kaleo Students doing ministry at New Life; please pray that we would be a blessing to the New Life community.

My role there will be in Youth Ministry.  On Friday night, I went to the kickoff youth event at New Life, called the Hunger.  There were over 90 youth there, between grades 7-12, and after watching the kids interact with each other and worship, it was clear that God is really moving in the hearts of these youth.  My role will be leading a 'connect' group, which is a group of 8 grade 7 boys and girls, in order to allow the kids to feel a sense of a smaller community within their large youth group.  My connect group is filled with 8 very energetic kids who all go to the same private Christian school.  Please pray that God would help me to connect with these youth and build strong relationships with them.  

Tomorrow morning my group is leaving for a 5-day sailing trip through a program called S.A.L.T.S.  through the channel.  That will be all for now !

Much Love,

ERIN 

Helloooo !!

Hey Everyone, 

Thanks so much for checking in on me !

The purpose of this blog is to keep you updated on what I'm doing, how I'm doing, and let you know about things I need prayer for.

The name of the blog comes from a song by David Crowder Band that I've been finding very relevant lately.  Part of the chorus says: 

Here it comes

A beautiful collision

Is happening now

There seems no end to where You begin

And there I am now

You and I

Collide

I'll be updating my blog 1-2 times a week, please continue to pray for me as I begin my ministry tomorrow, working at New Life Community Baptist Church in youth ministry.

Love Erin