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