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