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
1 comment:
Dear Erin,
Wow - thanks for sharing. The 7:00 a.m. prayer room shift sounds early for you, I am delighted that you found this time to be so important and that God met with you in such a special way.
I bought you that book from a man in the International Justice Mission this summer - do you have it out in Kaleo with you. I was shocked and astounded by what I heard this summer too. I hope that it does more in my life than prompt me just to buy a book. It is true that we need to be LIGHT in this world. Thank you for sharing this with us.
We continue to pray for you and miss you. Please pray for David and Matt this week. David's interview is Thursday.
Keep up the great work with the youth and keep listening to ALL that God is teaching you in this remarkable year.
We booked our flight and can't wait to come and see you in April - the only bad thing will be that your adventure with Kaleo will be drawing to a close...... I don't like to think about that.
We love and miss you - we are so proud of you. It was so great to read this blog entry.
Love Dad and Mom xoxoxo
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