He is Building a Palace

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."

--C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity) 

Wow.  When I read anything by C.S. Lewis, my mouth drops open at how well he put things into perspective.  He got it.  I think I'll have a C. S. Lewis binge later.  :)

So many times in my life, I wonder what on earth is going on here?  Why am I still in America and not on the mission field?  Why do I have all of these loans?  Why do families break apart, why do friends have to hurt and why do relationships fail?  What could I possible have to learn from any of this?

Over time, I've learned a small bit about what C.S. Lewis says in Mere Christianity.  God is making me into something better.  He's molding and shaping me into something that I had no idea could exist.  Sometimes I'm just stunned at how big God is and how much He loves me.  Loves me enough to make me into something else?  A new creation?  That, my friends, simply amazes me.  Even that God would call me to love and take care of orphans just makes me ecstatic.  I just thought I'd share.

All for now!

See ya in the funny papers!

Erin.

The Art of a Motorcycle Ride in Late May

Yesterday my car died.  It DIED.  My dad got a tow truck to bring it home for me when he went to town today.  Now it's sitting in the backyard as "lawn art."  You know, like those toilet bowls that have an arrangement of flowers growing out of it?  Yeah, like that.  (And I really saw that in the front yard of a person's house one time.  Not kidding.)  So today, because of my car's death, I was stranded.  I had wanted to go hiking, but instead I asked my Dad if we could go for a motorcycle ride.  And we rode all day, from 1pm- 7pm.  That's 6 hours!  But we did stop a flea market for about an hour, but the rest was pure riding.

So many things went through my mind as we rode today:

That's a pretty tree.  Wow, the sky is so big!  Is that country music that we are listening to?  I want to play this song on the guitar.  WOAH, BIG CURVE!!!  Wow, God, you are amazing.  What a beautiful world.  I want to write a magazine about small town life and tell people where great places to eat, camp and play are in Tennessee.  Is that horse rolling around on the ground?  My butt hurts.

Hahaha, but seriously,  I thought all of those things while riding today.  And now for a plethora of bike pictures!  I took them all on my camera phone and they are pretty clear considering that I took them on my camera phone.      

Ridin'

TieDye

Metal Bridge

Dad

Braids

Helmet

Roads

Green Grass and High Tides Forever

Shadows

Sunset

My Backyard: Tennessee

Leif Garrett

Purple Flowers

Pretty Red's

Tree Tops

Baby Blackberry's

One Blue Eye, One Brown Eye

Happy Pup

Honey Suckles

Wild Berry

Blowin' in the Wind

You gotta be tough to live in a Swamp. Just sayin'.

I just finished my Orange Carrot Sobe, and I immediately want another one. Who knew that Oranges and Carrots mixed together would be so yummy. I definitely didn't. Not to mention, it has this really cool gecko thing on it. Which, gecko's bring me to my first topic of conversation:

Swamp People:

Oh my goodness, I watched this show for the first time last night and it was crazy cool. There are like 20 teams of these guys (and gals, and 1 dog) who once a year hunt gators in the Bayou in Louisiana. I never thought I would like a show like this but I did. My favorite is their Cajun accents. And the gators too, I guess. But dude, these men (and women, and 1 dog) are tough. I guess you have to be tough to hunt and wrestle alligators. If I was gonna go to a swamp, I would want these guys (women, and 1 dog) to be my guide.

Onward.

It's raining like crazy here. I went to post office earlier, which brings me to my next topic of conversation.

Small Town People:

I grew up in the country. Grassy. Sunny. Nice air. But I haven't always liked it. I've been living here since I graduated college, (grew up here) I've gotten used to it again. People seem to take their time out here. Time passes slower. Most people are super nice. I talked to a guy (who was sweeping the floor) today at the post office that I had only seen once before and that was at the post office. We struck up a conversation as though we were long lost friends. He showed me a picture of his daughter and told me about where she was going to school and that he was going to to buy a car soon. He told me all kinds of stuff. Can I just say that I love striking up a conversation with someone I don't really know, like waitresses or a postman or Kevin Costner. (haha, just kidding about the last one. But I really wish I could strike up a conversation with that man. I wonder how that would go?)

Well, that's all for today, I reckon. (Had to put on my small town accent.)

Going home now. Gotta watch out for the zombies.

See ya'll in the funny papers.

Erin.

Nostalgia and God

I found this post in my Drafts Folder and thought I would throw it up here. I had forgotten about all of this. It's amazing how you can sometimes forget about the valley you had gone through when you are climbing to the top of the mountain again. I just know that God takes care of everything. Even though we don't think so at the time.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
-Romans 8:28

11/4/10
---
So here I am again. I'm sitting in this old, black computer chair once more, writing about my life and sending it into the vast, world wide web for random people to read. There are so many emotions and thoughts bouncing around in the confines of my head that I just can't process it all. I feel that if I don't get this all out then I will explode! Where do I even begin?

About a month ago, I went to visit my two best friends in the whole world. On the way there, I found myself with windows down, cool wind blowing through my hair and music from The Fray relaxing me. That alone brought on a rush of Nostalgia. The Fray: College. Cool air of Autumn: College. Classes. Friends. Windows down: College. Friends. Community. Lots of et cetera's. I usually love it when I get these bursts of Nostalgia but, for some reason, I couldn't help but feel sad. I miss college: Classes and Chapel. I miss friends: I took for granted that I got to see them every day. I miss a lot of things.

My disease is troubling me. I have found solace in a friend who has a similar (almost exact) condition. When I need help figuring out why I feel sick for no reason, he helps. When I wake up I usually have dreadful nausea, until I take my medicine. Then I usually feel okay. If not, there's always the Pepto. It can definitely be frustrating when trying to find a job or plan a mission trip. If I feel the slightest bit sick, the stress begins. Then I have to calm myself down, because the stress makes me sick.

But through all of this, I haven't forgotten God. Through the sadness and joy; Through the heartaches and love, I have grown closer to God. Even with hardly any money and me living with my parents, I have found that God provides. Even when I'm so sick, and I just feel like crying in a corner, I praise God anyway. This is my life. Whether I'm sick or feeling well. Whether I'm in a foreign land or in Tennessee, God is in control.
---

Wow, back to the present (4/13/2011) now. I haven't been sick in months (sick as in no more everyday nausea. I still have my disease.) I used to dread mornings and now I don't! I used to think that I wouldn't make it to the mission field. I am in the process now of getting to the mission field. My loans are getting paid off little by little. Life is good. Life is awesome! Life is swell!

See ya in the funny papers!

Erin.

Preparing for missions

Hello Friends, Family and random stranger!

I thought I'd give an update on my life right now. As most of you already know, I am preparing for a mission trip, and I'm hoping to leave by August 2011. I have been praying everyday about this trip; for God to prepare me, mentally, physically and spiritually. The place I am thinking and praying about has very extreme terrain, (Mount Everest and the Himalaya's) and I don't want to be caught out there without exercise. This isn't set in stone or anything, but I am thinking about calling Nepal my home for 2 years. (or however long God wants me there) They have a lot of ministries going on in Nepal right now, like: trekking(backpacking and distributing Christian literature), Friendship evangelism, Working with street kids, Teaching English, working with children and youth, Working in the Slums, Prison Ministry, etc.

All of this really excites me, and I just wanted to tell you all about it! I love you all.

Peace.

Erin.

Catching the wind

Sea water splashes against the side of my white sailboat as I get my bearings and steer her south-ward to the Caribbean. Traveling at 6 knots, I feel like I will make it to Bermuda all in good time. The wind blows back my hair, and I pull it into a tight pony tail. The bright blue canvas above me stretches far into the horizon, and I look out at where the sea and sky collide. I can see fins rising up out of the water just off the starboard bow. The dolphins jump alongside my boat for a while until they venture back under the waves and disappear completely. I check my compass again to make sure I'm still on course and then look back out at the horizon. No land in sight. I go below to the galley, quickly make a PB&J and return to the deck to grab the helm.

A few hours pass and the sun gradually dips itself into the sea. A full moon is glowing above me now and the billions of stars twinkle in the blackness. I wander down into the cabin again and check my map. Thirty nautical miles until I would reach Bermuda. I glanced at the clock above the table and it reads, 8:00pm. When I get back to the deck, I watch the black ocean below, feeling a twinge of fear at the thought of a storm making the wind violent instead of calm as it was now. I pulled my jacket on over my head and began thinking about how beautiful Bermuda would be when I arrived and placed my feet on her sandy beach.

Hours passed and the only sound came from the waves below. The wind was chilling, my face cold from the salty splashes of ocean. The sails flapped and then suddenly stopped moving. I grabbed the edge of the sail and moved it back and forth. Nothing. I wanted so badly to reach Bermuda tonight, and it didn't look as though it would happen. My small sailboat bobbed like a message in a glass bottle thrown to sea. I walked to the bow and leaned out, looking at the cold water below me. My eyes drifted up and out. And that was when I saw it; the faint lights of Bermuda. I quickly jumped up and ran down into the cabin to make sure it wasn't a cruise ship that I had seen. When I had confirmed that my position was indeed correct, and that I was looking at Bermuda, I ran down to the engine room to start my diesel. It sputtered a few times and then wouldn't sputter at all.

I went back to the stern of the boat and sat down near the helm, watching and waiting. I thought over and over in my head, "Please, please. Just a little wind. Come on you can do it, wind." I sat, hoping for wind and watching Bermuda's distant lights, imagining a festival in Saint George's. Thirty minutes had passed when I finally felt a breeze. I walked to the mainsail and pulled it back. My sails flapped and finally filled themselves with the surplus of wind. I was off again heading for the lights in the distance and for adventure.



(This is what I think about almost all the time. These are my daydreams. If I'm looking up stuff on you-tube, it's about sailing. Sailing, sailing, sailing. Living simply. I know you guys think I'm crazy and maybe I am to a certain extent. Just thought I'd share my daydream with the world. -Erin)