Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
First session done!
So 2 very short hours ago we all said goodbye to the first session summers missionaries! And yes you guessed it, it is a very sad day! That group of people has brought me so much joy in the past six weeks and it is really hard to believe that they have come and gone so quickly and my time here is running short!
It's ok though, because also today sometime this evening our second session summer staffers will be arriving. And that is so excited! A whole new group of people to welcome into my family and call my brothers and sisters in Christ! Apart of that family coming is Alex Vidos and Brandon Verret, practically my brother and sister and I am so excited for them to experience this amazing place the same way I have!
So let's start on the surface
Service Crew, last weekend, went to the Fun Factory, and you guessed right again, It was so much fun!
While we were there we indulged in many great games of Laser Tag and put put golf! I couldn't remember last time I had played either of these. We had Q-Zar in Lafayette that I remember going to with my cousins and sister. All I really remember about it is my cousin Clay only being able to call it Quayzar and not ever being able to get the correct pronunciation down! But after playing Laser Tag last weekend it's safe to assume that it is now one of my favorite activities!
Last night after our forth week of campers were gone the Service Crew participated in many great games of Gaga Ball and then a smashing game of Sand Volleyball! IT WAS SOO MUCH FUN!!!
The joy that came out of us all just hanging out in community with one another was such a light for me! After that we went to debrief of what's been going on in our hearts first session and we did all of that in the same amount of time it took the summer staff to just debrief and evaluate what they had been going through! I know how it goes though. My friend said that my summer staff's share fest lasted from 8PM to 3AM. I guess I just didn't remember it, but I know he's right.
So last night service crew debriefed and evaluated our past six weeks of being on campus. We started in prayer and then Sean Delaney led us into the evaluation.
The first day we were here we were asked to introduce ourselves and then answer the question, "What gift do you want to ask the Holy Spirit to give to you while you are here at camp?"
My answer to that question was a dedication, not only to the Lord but just in everything I do, or am involved in. But especially to the Lord.
I feel like since being here I have a desire for a dedication to prayer and to a relationship with God, but the fear of the unknown is holding me back.
I wrote all of that a week ago and forgot to post it! but since then more has happened!
We had 2 night sessions this past week at the Martin's house. Both were on suffering, first suffering in general and then redemptive suffering.
Erik talked about how we have a gospel of suffering, how all to saints and apostles suffered in some way, and how the only way to achieve sainthood is to accept suffering.
He mentions something like offering up a head cold or a stubbed toe as a prayer for someone who needs conversion or something like that... I proceeded to think to myself, "a head cold isn't suffering!" and then waking up the next morning not being able to breathe and with a headache that felt like jupiter was trying to escape out of my ears! So yes, i guess i have been suffering this week. But it has been easier to deal with knowing that I'm offering it up for my loved ones back home and for our communities intentions and the intentions of all of you are being great mission partners.
I have been getting better with the suffering thing. I think the hardest part of suffering for me is not knowing what kind of suffering the Lord is going to allow in my life. If it's a stubbed toe I'll take it but if it's the loss of a loved one I don't want it. And I know that it is ok to be at this spot and I'm sure many people could understand where I am with the whole suffering thing, buti know with great suffering comes great redemption! So to desire sainthood is to accept suffering and allow theLord to fill the emptiness that suffering causes!
I'm not saying this is going to be easy, because it's not! And imnot looking forward to it, but I'm working on it, so yeah!
This post took like two weeks to post and I have so much more to tell you all! Hopefully I can post something in the next couple of days! Love you all thanks so much for your support and prayers! Oh yeah and st. Pius and st. Mary's will be here in 3days!!!!!!!
Peace!
Erin!
It's ok though, because also today sometime this evening our second session summer staffers will be arriving. And that is so excited! A whole new group of people to welcome into my family and call my brothers and sisters in Christ! Apart of that family coming is Alex Vidos and Brandon Verret, practically my brother and sister and I am so excited for them to experience this amazing place the same way I have!
So let's start on the surface
Service Crew, last weekend, went to the Fun Factory, and you guessed right again, It was so much fun!
While we were there we indulged in many great games of Laser Tag and put put golf! I couldn't remember last time I had played either of these. We had Q-Zar in Lafayette that I remember going to with my cousins and sister. All I really remember about it is my cousin Clay only being able to call it Quayzar and not ever being able to get the correct pronunciation down! But after playing Laser Tag last weekend it's safe to assume that it is now one of my favorite activities!
Last night after our forth week of campers were gone the Service Crew participated in many great games of Gaga Ball and then a smashing game of Sand Volleyball! IT WAS SOO MUCH FUN!!!
The joy that came out of us all just hanging out in community with one another was such a light for me! After that we went to debrief of what's been going on in our hearts first session and we did all of that in the same amount of time it took the summer staff to just debrief and evaluate what they had been going through! I know how it goes though. My friend said that my summer staff's share fest lasted from 8PM to 3AM. I guess I just didn't remember it, but I know he's right.
Now let's dive in to Erin's heart:
So last night service crew debriefed and evaluated our past six weeks of being on campus. We started in prayer and then Sean Delaney led us into the evaluation.
The first day we were here we were asked to introduce ourselves and then answer the question, "What gift do you want to ask the Holy Spirit to give to you while you are here at camp?"
My answer to that question was a dedication, not only to the Lord but just in everything I do, or am involved in. But especially to the Lord.
I feel like since being here I have a desire for a dedication to prayer and to a relationship with God, but the fear of the unknown is holding me back.
I wrote all of that a week ago and forgot to post it! but since then more has happened!
We had 2 night sessions this past week at the Martin's house. Both were on suffering, first suffering in general and then redemptive suffering.
Erik talked about how we have a gospel of suffering, how all to saints and apostles suffered in some way, and how the only way to achieve sainthood is to accept suffering.
He mentions something like offering up a head cold or a stubbed toe as a prayer for someone who needs conversion or something like that... I proceeded to think to myself, "a head cold isn't suffering!" and then waking up the next morning not being able to breathe and with a headache that felt like jupiter was trying to escape out of my ears! So yes, i guess i have been suffering this week. But it has been easier to deal with knowing that I'm offering it up for my loved ones back home and for our communities intentions and the intentions of all of you are being great mission partners.
I have been getting better with the suffering thing. I think the hardest part of suffering for me is not knowing what kind of suffering the Lord is going to allow in my life. If it's a stubbed toe I'll take it but if it's the loss of a loved one I don't want it. And I know that it is ok to be at this spot and I'm sure many people could understand where I am with the whole suffering thing, buti know with great suffering comes great redemption! So to desire sainthood is to accept suffering and allow theLord to fill the emptiness that suffering causes!
I'm not saying this is going to be easy, because it's not! And imnot looking forward to it, but I'm working on it, so yeah!
This post took like two weeks to post and I have so much more to tell you all! Hopefully I can post something in the next couple of days! Love you all thanks so much for your support and prayers! Oh yeah and st. Pius and st. Mary's will be here in 3days!!!!!!!
Peace!
Erin!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Week 3 is Here and off to a great start!!!
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| Just to document me and Alex's Sam's trips, this is a sign we pass on the way there! |
On my day off this past sunday me and Alex decided to make the day out of our Sam's trip by hitting the mall before. We ate at this really cute bistro/coffee/wine place in Clayton called Grapes and Beans. IT WAS SO GOOD!!
After that we hit the Mall of Georgia and then Sam's and then drove home! I really love working with Alex Willey. She really is making this summer awesome.
The last 2 weeks I had the blessing of once again getting to hang out with Fr. Paul Salemi and he just left yesterday, but while he was here I got to go to spiritual direction with him, and it was much needed. And now I know that I need a spiritual director.
At the beginning of the summer I was faced with the question during Reconciliation of "Do you love God?" just with everything I've been going through with my relationship with the Lord lately I couldn't answer that question. I didnt want to say no because I could remember times where I had been in love with the Lord but I didn't want to say yes because I knew It would have been a lie. The priest sense my unsureness of my answer so as my penance he had me stare at a crucifix and ask the Lord if He loved me.
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| I think this is a good crucifix to stare at for a while! |
There is a line from a Josh Ritter song that really has been making me look back on my life and my past religious experiences. In Golden Age of Radio it says, "Have mercy on this boy he did it all by the books But still kind of has his doubts,"
This really is what I've been struggling with lately. But I realize that it's time that I find out all of these things on my own. It really is amazing to see how the Lord is calling me to grow up in my faith. But also I do realize that my doubts whatever they maybe are just a desire to search for the heart of the Lord!
Through my discipleship with Sara Vasile and spiritual direction with Fr. Paul I really am realizing these things. And what a better place to be at then Covecrest to start figuring these things out. Zero distractions and holiness is so accessible. Now I just have to do it! And I really am so ready. I know the Lord has so much more in store for me and I can't wait.
Sara asked me during discipleship after I explained to her how abandoned by the Lord and lost from Him I had been feeling she asked me if my heart was ok. After she asked this I tried to answer but ended up just crying. I guess I just hadn't been asked this question since last summer and really just missed it. And also just to have that special person, like Sara, to care about my heart and understand that I am hurting and upset about this abandonment and lack of acknowledgment from the Lord. And I am so glad it was Sara who saw my hurt and knew that the question of my heart needed to be talked about.
Even though I feel like I'm not growing I know I am. Every time I receive the Eucharist I know that it changes me even if it's just a small change, it's growth and that makes me so excited to see the person I will be at the end of the summer.
Ok so that was really a lot. But I'm glad I got it all out there. So yeah...here it is.
Love and miss you all and remember to embrace the grace!!
My God and my King be my everything!
-Erin
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
I'm really not good with this whole blog thing!!! Sorry!
I am really really bad at this whole blogging thing. and now i'm faced with updating on like 2 and a holf weeks of stuff in 30 minutes!
The Outpost is awesome and I really love the coffee cart. Last week we had our first week of campers and yesterday our second group arrived and already the teens are hardcore diving in.
Last week we had the Edge kids. Middle Schoolers! They had some kids from New Iberia and it was like being at home listening to their accents. I loved every minute of it. Me and my co-worker Alex were constantly restocking shelveswith pixie sticks and ring pops. These kids went through a three week supply of candy and soda in three days. By the end of the week we were out of every drink except diet coke, IBC rootbeer, and water! it was crazy. We even had one kid that bought $37 dollars of chex mix who then went and sold it to his friends for a quarter more then what we were selling it for.
I thought I should post some pictures just so you all can see how great this camp is!
This is Aaron and Ethan, some of the Outpost loiterers and a couple of Alex and I's favorite campers. They were from New Iberia and it was so awesome to get to know them!
These Edge girls decided to link all of the carabiners together. After they finished they counted and informed me and Alex that there were 436 of them. We were very thankful for them once we had to count everything for inventory.
This week has been much more relaxed. Its day two and we never have teens bombarding the counter with snacks and they are saving their money for t-shirts and stuff!
so far so great though! I will work on my bloggin skills hopefully! well we shall see!
The Outpost is awesome and I really love the coffee cart. Last week we had our first week of campers and yesterday our second group arrived and already the teens are hardcore diving in.
Last week we had the Edge kids. Middle Schoolers! They had some kids from New Iberia and it was like being at home listening to their accents. I loved every minute of it. Me and my co-worker Alex were constantly restocking shelveswith pixie sticks and ring pops. These kids went through a three week supply of candy and soda in three days. By the end of the week we were out of every drink except diet coke, IBC rootbeer, and water! it was crazy. We even had one kid that bought $37 dollars of chex mix who then went and sold it to his friends for a quarter more then what we were selling it for.
I thought I should post some pictures just so you all can see how great this camp is!
 |
This is Aaron and Ethan, some of the Outpost loiterers and a couple of Alex and I's favorite campers. They were from New Iberia and it was so awesome to get to know them!
These Edge girls decided to link all of the carabiners together. After they finished they counted and informed me and Alex that there were 436 of them. We were very thankful for them once we had to count everything for inventory.
 |
| They were a couple of our EXTREME players of the day! |
This week has been much more relaxed. Its day two and we never have teens bombarding the counter with snacks and they are saving their money for t-shirts and stuff!
so far so great though! I will work on my bloggin skills hopefully! well we shall see!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
First post from the cove!
so I have been at Covecrest for a total of 2 days now and as the second day is closing and the 3rd is coming soon I am finding my heart in a complete state of peace. Being here with all my brothers and sisters from my summer staff from last year is a plus! but God is definitely shows up at this place. Currently me and my family are just hanging out listening to music throwing a frisbee around in the main room and I was playing with them for a while, but i just decided to kind of soak it all in!
We had adoration tonight and i think i realized something really important.
Lately I have been feeling so stuck in my relationship with the Lord. I haven't been feeling his providential grace that i was so blessed with coming down from the mountain last summer. and i really wasn't sure why this was happening. Even when i would go to the chapel I received no fruits from my visits and felt like I was wasting my time....i know that there is grace received from a chapel visit, but I never could dive in. I guess I have been stuck like this since January when I got back from mission. However tonight during my time in the chapel while i was journaling I realized how often I lose sight of the Lord in my day to day life.
I am not growing in relationship with him because I don't make an effort to grow in that relationship with him! DUH ERIN! like really I amaze myself sometimes! I think about when he has been most evident in my life it has been the times where my prayer life is where it should be and when i have actually been making an effort for our relationship!
so i wrote this a while back and am just posting it now but yea here you go.
next will be stuff from work week....which we are not in anymore, but i'm doing the best that i can
Love you all.
We had adoration tonight and i think i realized something really important.
Lately I have been feeling so stuck in my relationship with the Lord. I haven't been feeling his providential grace that i was so blessed with coming down from the mountain last summer. and i really wasn't sure why this was happening. Even when i would go to the chapel I received no fruits from my visits and felt like I was wasting my time....i know that there is grace received from a chapel visit, but I never could dive in. I guess I have been stuck like this since January when I got back from mission. However tonight during my time in the chapel while i was journaling I realized how often I lose sight of the Lord in my day to day life.
I am not growing in relationship with him because I don't make an effort to grow in that relationship with him! DUH ERIN! like really I amaze myself sometimes! I think about when he has been most evident in my life it has been the times where my prayer life is where it should be and when i have actually been making an effort for our relationship!
so i wrote this a while back and am just posting it now but yea here you go.
next will be stuff from work week....which we are not in anymore, but i'm doing the best that i can
Love you all.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Getting Ready for Camp
I am sitting at my computer desk procrastinating BIG TIME! So I decided to start doing my Camp stuff. Like setting up this blog and getting my donor letters and cards printed out! Yes I'm excited but I think I need to realize that school is not over yet! and I need to remain focused if I plan on getting out of UL soon! But for now I will just inform you all that this is my blog! I will do my very best to update it every week while I am at camp so you all can see in what ways Christ is working in me while I am gone for the WHOLE SUMMER! That is 3 whole months! I leave around May 15 and will be back sometime early August! I will let you all know the right dates as soon as I find them out! I will miss you all dearly, but know that while I am gone God will be molding a pretty amazing girl to his heart and will! I love you all and I wish you the Best and I will be praying for each of you and your intentions while I'm gone!!
Please remember that all donor cards are due by May 28 to...
Life Teen Inc.
25 Falls drive
Tiger, GA 30576
also if you wish to write me while I am away that will be the address you can send any mail to! I love you and so does Christ!
~Erin!
____________________________________________
My God and My King, You are my EVERYTHING!
Please remember that all donor cards are due by May 28 to...
Life Teen Inc.
25 Falls drive
Tiger, GA 30576
also if you wish to write me while I am away that will be the address you can send any mail to! I love you and so does Christ!
~Erin!
____________________________________________
My God and My King, You are my EVERYTHING!
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