My little munchkins

This semester, I'm nannying two of the most adorable little girls I've ever met in my life. If you talk to me on a regular basis, you probably know all about KatyJo and Annabelle. If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably seen a ton of cute pictures of them being silly. On one of the days I watch them, I pick them up from their school and bring them home. Let me tell you, those car rides from the church to the house are usually one of high points of my week. 

I'm usually fairly quiet in the car ride because I just like to the listen to the girls. I listen to them giggle with each other and play games. I listen to KatyJo and Annabelle talk about their day at school. Today, I listened to KatyJo tell Annabelle how excited she was about "Halloween 2" that is happening tomorrow night and how Annabelle was gonna be a unicorn while she was gonna wear a "beeeutiful princess dress." A few weeks back, per KatyJo's request, I turned the music down because she wanted to pray for Daddy to feel better because she didn't like seeing him sad.

As soon as we get into the car, KatyJo always asks for me to put on "Angel Armies" which is actually "Whom Shall I Fear" by Chris Tomlin. Sometimes we listen to it on repeat until we get home and other times KatyJo allows me to pick the song (which often ends up with her telling me she doesn't like the song I picked). Most of the time, I quietly sing to myself while mainly listening to KatyJo sing "Angel Armies." There's something that makes my heart swell when I hear a 3 and a half year sing about God always being near her and always fighting for her. Annabelle "sings" a long too but it's mainly just noises that go along with the song. But I'm convinced she's singin to Jesus just like her big sister is. These girls already know Jesus and they're excited about learning more about Jesus. It makes me SO excited to see their faith grow year after year. If you know these girls at all, you know that they're gonna conquer the world in Jesus' name. They have that spunk.

These girls bring me so much joy and they just exude Jesus. They say things that crack me up, like that Jesus gets messy when he eats spaghetti, and then they say things that bring me back to the basics, like that Jesus is always with me no matter where I am. They show me how to forgive others through their own interactions with each other. And week after week, I watch them grow bigger and bigger; transforming into these children that know more than they did the last time I saw them. Even though I'm here to watch them and help them, they're definitely teaching me more than I could ever teach them.

Aren't they just the cutest?!

Wait, life is moving on?

Like I've mentioned before, I'm at this weird stage in life where I'm experiencing life in two different places. I have my Waco life, Waco friends, Waco home, and Waco church. And then I have my Rockport home, Rockport life, Rockport friends, Rockport family, and Rockport church. When I left for college, I thought I would have no problem having two seperate lives but as I'm growing, I'm realizing it's not that simple. And honestly, I'm not quite sure how to handle this. Let me explain.

About 3 weeks ago, something hit me like a ton of bricks: My Rockport life is moving on without me. Can you believe that?! Just kidding. I know it's super selfish. I didn't truly believe that Rockport life would stop when I left, but I didn't take into consideration how it would affect me. I've only been gone 2 and a half years. That's really not that long in the grand scheme of things, but in those short two and a half years, I've gone from knowing every single person in the church to not even knowing some of the leaders. I don't know half of my Sunday school class and they don't know me. I don't know everyone and everyone doesn't know me. I walk into church and see a ton of faces that I don't know.Which is good because that means First Baptist Church is gaining new members and our current members are sharing Christ to the community. But how did I go from someone that was involved in every church activity to a visitor that shows up on holidays and weekends every now and then?

Now, I know people in my church are reading this. Them reading it shows that I have church family that loves me no matter what stage of life I'm in. And no matter how selfish I am about things. And let me assure yall, my feelings about this have nothing to do with the people in my church. It has to do with my heart. It has to do with me trying to figure out how to keep my heart in Rockport while also living my life outside of Rockport. So how do I give my heart to both of these places? How do I stay connected with my Rockport church family that has shaped me into who I am today as well as connecting to my Waco community that is continually shaping me?

What an interesting life

Welcome back, strangers. I haven't posted anything on my blog in almost two months. During this time, people would ask me why I had abandoned it and I would tell them, "My life isn't interesting enough to talk about right now. All I do is go to school, work, keep up with my fantasy football league, and study." It hit me recently that telling people my life isn't interesting is a big fat lie. My life is interesting when it comes down to it. Since I last posted I've:

• Started my third year at Baylor, I'm taking 16 hours of classes and treasurer of the Child and Family Studies Organization
• Turned 21! 
• Started nannying two of the cutest girls on the face of the planet. Katy Jo is about 3 and a half and Annabelle will be 2 in December. 
• joined a Fantasy Football league. Even though the draft was one of the most stressful things I've ever done, I absolutely love doing it. I'm the only girl in my league and I feel like I'm doing pretty decent against all the guys!
• led a group of 7 high school girls at a D-now in Port Aransas. More on that later
• been continually messed up by God in the best way possible

So to all you people that I've talked to about my blog recently, ignore what I told you. Lets get into more detail on some of the things mentioned above.

First, I'm in a Functions of Ministry class this semester. For our main assignment, we have to create a Bible study or sermon. I've led Bible studies and small groups before but actually creating the Bible study is a completely different story. We had to look at the passage in multiple translations, define words in the original language, read a few commentaries, and then decide what the main lessons are. I chose to create a Bible study and was assigned Proverbs 31. Now, we had a list of passages to choose from and I chose Proverbs 31 at the very bottom of the list but that's the one I got assigned. I'm not gonna lie, I literally groaned when I saw what passage I was assigned. Proverbs 31? The passage talking about the perfect wife? The passage that I've avoided because I knew I would never live up to those characteristics? Yep. Sure enough. However, now that I've looked closer at this passage, it's definitely not what I've always thought it was. This passage isn't telling us exactly what all Christian women should be like. It's showing us an example of a wise, Godly woman while another passage gives a visual of a woman that will lead away from God. It's not saying that every women should buy and sell land, make clothes for her whole family, stay up late, and wake up early. It's telling us to be wise. Creating this Bible study was super intimidating for me and that's why I mention it. It scared me to think that I had to interpret the scripture in my way and tell people what I took as the main lessons. However, I think it taught me a lot and taught me how to create things on my own which will definitely be a useful skill in my later career. 

Secondly, I was asked to lead at a D-now weekend in Port A that took place last weekend. For those of you who don't know what a D-now weekend is, it's pretty much an in-town weekend retreat within a youth group. It's packed with devotionals, growing closer to the Lord, bonding, fun, food, and staying in host homes. Honestly, leading up to the weekend, I was really stinkin nervous. I distinctly remember driving home from Waco and having a knot in my stomach because I was so nervous. I've led weekends like this in the past, but they've always been with girls that I know. I had no idea who the girls in my group were. I didn't know their personalities, their families, where they are with their spiritual walks, I knew nothing. By the end of the weekend, I figured out that that was a good thing but for the time being, I was terrified. On Friday night, we were supposed to go over 2 different sessions and we didn't even get through half of the first one. Instead, we just talked as a group and got to share things from our lives. Let me tell you, some of the things that these girls had been through was rough. Things that no one, let alone high schoolers, should have to deal with. At first, I was overwhelmed. I have never been through anything close to some of the things they had experienced. Then, from the encouragement of some people I texted in a panic, I realized that I was there for a reason. I was put as their leader to love on them and show them that Christ is the ultimate healer. By the end of the weekend, I fell in love with those 7 girls. They were sweet, loving, and some of the craziest girls I had ever met and they touched my heart in such an awesome way.

This is my group at the beginning of our afternoon activity. I think if I had taken this picture at the end, we would've looked pretty exhausted. We played a game called "Bigger or Better." Each group started out with a paper clip and had to go door to door asking the person if they had anything to trade that was bigger or better than what we had at the time. The very first person we talked to traded their 1920 Tandem bike made in France for a paper clip. We were pretty ecstatic to say the least. And we won which is always nice. 

My lovely group of girls after church on Sunday plus the youth minister's adorable son. 

As you can tell, my life has been interesting this semester and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon. But I love it! I'm definitely looking forward to Fall Break next weekend when I can go home for Seafair and relax a little big though! 

Blue is the new pink

Every once and a while, okay let's be honest, quite often, I get attached to inanimate objects. Come on guys, we all have that one t shirt that we can't get rid of that, the photo that reminds us of one specific event in our lives, or maybe even that book you read over and over again yet never gets old. One of the inanimate objects that I have a strong attachment to is my Bible. This is the Bible that is now covered in pink duct tape because it was falling apart and I didn't want to get rid of it. I had been considering getting a new Bible for a while now but just didn't want to start over. I love that my Bible has my writing and highlighting in it. I can read a certain verse, look at my notes in the margin and remember exactly what was on my heart when I wrote that note. Between the pages, you can find countless notes of encouragement from different people in my life, memorabilia from various church trips and mission trips, and multiple saved conversations on collection envelopes that were used to pass notes during church. There are bulletins stuck between the pages from the church that raised me and also from my Waco church home. I didn't want to get rid of the Bible that helped me survive middle school, high school, and half of college. This Bible has seen my tears of joy and tears of sadness. It's helped me make life altering decisions like college and plans after college. 

But today, I bought a new Bible. A Bible that will be by my side during my adventures over the next few years. A Bible that will help me survive the rest of college and all of seminary. I can't wait to fill this Bible up with my notes, highlighting, underlining. Most importantly, I can't wait to learn the things that God will teach me through this Bible. I'm looking forward to the challenges, comfort, and change of heart that will come with it. 

There were two deciding factors in this decision:

1. My Bible is a "teen version" and we all know that those can be kinda lame at times. 

2. I'm attending Seminary after I graduate from Baylor. I don't want to start Seminary with a brand new Bible, but I also don't want to start Seminary with a bright pink duct tape teen version Bible. 

So, I bit the bullet and bought a new Bible. I already knew exactly what I wanted:

1. Fairly small, but not too small

2. NIV 

3. Paperback for more flexibility

4. Words that Jesus said in red because I find it SO cool to read the exact words that Christ said

5. Somewhat cute/pretty because I'm a girl.

So I ended up with this pretty thang. 

The brown thing on the side is a magnet that keeps it closed. Super cute, right? Also, Mardel puts your name on your Bible for free! So awesome! Now I have to slowly transition from my old Bible to my new Bible. We'll see how it goes!

Update on my life:

• I stopped biting my nails
• I'm one week (2 tests) away from finishing Spanish class for the Summer
• We turned our dining room into a study room
• I get to go home this weekend
• I ordered my books today for the Fall semester and it made me super excited! #nerdalert

I'm learning

Surprisingly enough, I survived Spanish 1 so I started Spanish 2 last week. After one week of Spanish class from 8:30-12, I've learned a few things.

1. The Today Show isn't as good early in the morning as it around 9 o'clock. Last session, I woke up around 8:45, watch the Today Show while I got ready and then left around 9:45. I spent my mornings with Willie Geist and Savannah Guthrie. The hour I watched was mixed with filling me in on world news as well as telling me stories that were more light hearted. I also might have a slight crush on Willie Geist. Lets be real, I have a HUGE crush on Willie Geist. I think he's just adorable. But now, I watch the Today Show from 7-7:50 and it's just not as entertaining. Everything is so serious. PLUS I have to watch Matt Lauer instead of Willie. No me gusta. 

2. I'm not a morning person in any way, shape, or form. I need my sleep, people. Waking up at 7 am is just not working for me. You can ask Briana, I don't talk much in the morning. And I've been told that if someone wakes me up unexpectedly, I make a very mean face. A very very mean face.

3. When you wake up at 7 and have class for 3 and a half hours, it makes for a very long day. I get out of class and I feel like it should be 2 pm yet it's only noon and I still have the whole afternoon free. 

4. No me gusta espanol. 


On a side note, I'm going to Dallas Theological Seminary tomorrow to talk to an admissions counselor and take a tour of the campus. I'm slightly stressed about which seminary to go to so hopefully tomorrow will help. When I was choosing where to get my undergrad, there was never a doubt in my mind where I would end up. I always knew I was supposed to go to Baylor. But now I don't know where I'll end up. I don't know what degree I'll get. I don't know anything besides the fact that I'll go where I feel called and that it will be the right decision for me. 

I apologize for the boringness of this post. My life revolves around Spanish right now so it's not too exciting. Bear with me, yall. 

It's a fact, Jack.

Every once and awhile, I like to just post some facts about myself. If you know me really well, you probably already know the majority of these. However, some of these are little known facts. Also, don't judge me for the facts. If you love me, you love my weirdness as well.

1. Each night before I go to sleep, I look in each of the three closets in my room. I'm not sure why I even bother looking because if there were something/someone in one of them, I sure couldn't do anything about it. 

2. I really really want a tattoo, but I will never get one. 

3. I feel the need to control things. Whether it be just doing things myself, driving, or controlling a situation, I want to be the one doing it. When something is out of my control, it makes me uneasy. 

4. I'm the most well-behaved rebellious person you will ever meet. 

5. I'm really competitive.

6. I'm a "fixer." If you're talking to me about a problem, by instinct, I want to tell you exactly what you need to do to fix your problem. I realize that this is one of my not so good personality traits, so I'm working on it. Just because I think something would work, that doesn't mean it will work for you. 

7. I carry a permanent marker in my purse in case I run into someone famous. I just realized though that autographs might be outdated. Now, everyone just takes a picture. Oh well, I'll be prepared!

8. I cannot handle raw meet. Holding any type of raw meat just grosses me out. I blame it on getting a raw chicken burger at Sonic one time. When I saw raw, I mean RAW. As in, the chicken was still glossy looking. Barf.

9. I believe with all my heart that I'm called to work with families. However, I've recently discovered that I have a heart for teenage girls as well.

10. I refuse to look out the window at night. I'm terrified that one night, I'll look out the window and someone will pop their head up and look back at me. 

I hope you still want to be friends with me after learning all this. Remember, you love me. That includes loving my weirdness. 

God's Hand

Has someone ever asked you why miracles don't happen in today's world like they did in the times of the Bible? I've had people ask me that multiple times. They want to see for themselves just how God is at work. They want to see it not just read about it. Lately, it's like God's been showing off how awesome He is. And you know what? It truly is amazing. And now you get to hear about it.

1. There were tornadoes all around my brother and his friends in Oklahoma. There was a few literally down the road from him and they were headed right towards him. At the time, we had just seen how destructive those tornadoes were. The whole world saw houses ruined, innocent lives taken, lives destroyed, and now those tornadoes were headed towards my brother. Guess what. They stopped before they got to his apartment. I have no doubt that God had his hand on my brother and protected him that day.

2. Our neighbor and good friend has been battling breast cancer for some time now. It was pretty advanced when they found it and I think they said it was stage 3 (I could be wrong). We all know how awful cancer is. We all hate it. She had surgery about 2 weeks ago and got the test results back recently. 98% of the cancer was gone!!! As for the other two percent, they were nonviable. Seriously could not have asked for a better report! How awesome is that? This is one of those things that can't be explained; there's no doubt that it was God.

3. This past weekend, we had a wedding to go to in Port A. On the way back to Rockport that night, our car died on the ferry. Literally on the ferry, yall. After a big fiasco, we were finally able to be towed home by my dad's awesome and dependable BFF. I don't know if yall have ever been towed, but it's slightly terrifying. Because the battery was the issue, the power steering and power brakes were both shot. I was pretty worried about the way back, I'm not gonna lie. BUT our God is an awesome God. The whole back back, we NEVER hit a red light (slowing down can be a hassle), there was NEVER any traffic while driving or merging onto the bypass, there wasn't any traffic while crossing the bypass, and a person even drove behind us with their flashers on for awhile to make sure that we were seen. I was talking to my dad's friend that picked us up and he said that on his way to us, there was a ton of traffic and he was worried about us getting back. But then our God protected us.

It's kind of like God is showing off lately and trying to get my attention. These are just three circumstances that have been very obvious. I'm not even mentioning the things in life that people take advantage of that very obviously are miracles of God. Things like a baby being born, the fact that I'm still alive, the fact that God's grace saves mes when I screw up daily, and even the simple things like a sunset. It's nice to be reminded that God's hand is placed on my life and that he's not just chillin up there enjoying the show.

Vacation Bible School

Every summer growing up, I would look forward to Vacation Bible School. Because I was always one of "those kids" at the church, I came early with my family and was usually one of the last ones out the door. Even though I was blessed with a multitudes of things that influenced my Christian walk, I have no doubt that VBS was one of the bigger influences. Once I was old enough to work at VBS, I STILL looked forward to the week. I mean really, what is cooler than seeing 300 kids sing catchy (and slightly lame) songs about Jesus? The kid's smiles are contagious, the songs are catchy and will get stuck in your head, and rooms are decorated, and the seeds planted will last forever. 

All of that being said, the week of VBS this year makes me sad. This is the first time in 20 years that I won't be at First Baptist Church for VBS. Do the math, yall. I'm almost 21. I've been at VBS since I was 9 months old tagging along with my family. VBS is one of the highlights of the summer. And instead of being home showing kids the love of Jesus, I'm in summer school learning Spanish. 

Now, I know this is selfish. I know it's awful that VBS makes me sad this year. But I want to be there. However, I know that VBS will go on without me. And I know that really, me being there makes no difference whatsoever. So even though I'm not there physically, I'm there in prayer. I'm praying that those kids see Jesus through the workers. And I pray that those workers have enough strength(mental, physical, and spiritual) to get through the week. I pray that this week would plant seeds in the kids that will last a lifetime. Lastly, I pray that God allows me to be there next year. If not, I pray that He works on my heart so I realize that He has put me somewhere else for a reason. 

Two Homes?

I've discovered recently that I'm in this awkward stage of life right now. I have Rockport, which will always be my hometown. The one and only house I've ever lived in will always be my home. First Baptist Church will always be my home church. I have my friends that are classified as my friends "back home" But now I have Waco. I have a home there. I have friends there. I have a church there. So now what? What is home? Is Rockport home? Is Waco home? 

I texted a friend the other day and said that I missed Waco and my life there. And then I immediately felt like a jerk. I can't miss Waco. I'm home. I'm surrounded by my family, friends, and the beach; how could I miss Waco? Then today while at the beach, I didn't want to leave. I honestly could have sat in the water all day. I wanted to soak it up as much as I could because I'm leaving Sunday and I'll miss the beach so much. As soon as I got to my car, I texted the same friend from before and told her nevermind; I don't want to go back to Waco, Rockport is home. Especially during the summer. I have no doubt that I'll get back to Waco and miss Rockport. If you know anything about me, you know how much I love Rockport. It was really hard for me to go to college because of my love for Rockport. But now while I'm here, I'm missing Waco? Man, maybe I'm just high maintenance. 

So now what? Is Rockport home? Is Waco home? Can you have two homes? When it all comes down to it,  I should realize how blessed I am to be able to call two different towns "home." But I'm not comfortable about it. I don't like that Rockport isn't my ONLY home anymore. But I love it that I've found a life I love in Waco. I suppose that's part of growing up. 

Internship

Like I said before, I had an internship this semester through my Intro to Ministry class. I was working with The Minister of Discipleship and Young Married Adults at First Woodway. Overall, I absolutely loved getting more involved with this church. First Woodway was going through a lot of changes and it was really awesome to get to see the church body follow Christ and trust in His promises. 

At the beginning of the semester, our professor told us that this internship would either confirm our calling into ministry or show us that this isn't what God has called us to do with our lives. This scared me to death when I first heard it. Umm excuse me, I'm in my second year at college and I'm planning on going into ministry. What am I supposed to do if this internship shows me I'm not made for this? It terrified me. However, this internship taught me a few things:

1. Ministry, and the life of a minister, is a hard life.

• Ministry is a full time job. It isn't 8-5 like other jobs so there is no telling when you may be called in to handle a situation
• The repercussions of this job have eternal consequences. This thought is very intimidating to me. In ministry, I have to realize that literally every action of mine can draw someone closer to or further from Christ. 
• You're in charge of leading other people and their walk with Christ which means you have to keep up with your walk with Christ. If a minister stops talking to God, stops reading scripture, and stops working on their relationship with Christ, it will affect their ministry. 

2. Ministry is also rewarding

• This job has eternal consequences which can be intimidating but it can also be so exciting! My job will allow me to spread the word of Christ. What an awesome privilege! 

3. Keeping up with church/culture trends isn't as easy as it sounds

• American families are drastically changing and this has a profound impact on family ministry. How does the church handle homosexuality as it is becoming legal is many state? How does the church be in the world but not of the world? It's hard to stick to your morals with a lot of big issues like this while also being loving, welcoming, and non judgmental.

4. I'm not sure I'm called to work in a church

• Let me clarify, I still believe with my whole heart that I'm called into ministry; I'm just not sure it's ministry within a church. My heart is always pulled towards those in need. Whether it be poverty, seeking shelter from abuse, homelessness, or anything of that sort, I want to help them. I want to help their immediate needs while telling them about how God can help their spiritual needs. At this point, I feel like my calling is in family ministries within urban missions rather than within a traditional church setting. 

My internship was one of the most valuable experiences I've had in college thus far. It helped me figure out exactly what I believe with certain issues and it gave me the opportunity to see how church life is behind the scenes. It was encouraging, overwhelming at times, and reaffirmed my decision to give my life to full time Christian ministry. 

Well hey there!

After two long and crazy months, I'm finally back!! I hadn't even realized it had been two months until someone mentioned it to me. Since my last post, lots has happened in my life. I went to Atlanta to see my sister and brother in law, lead a group of middle school girls at a weekend retreat at church, completed my internship at First Woodway, finished my fourth semester at Baylor, seen firsthand just how God takes care of His children, and thoroughly enjoyed my time home.

Since it would be overkill to talk (type?) about all of these experiences in one post, I've decided to split each one up into a separate post.  While this will be less overwhelming for yall, it will always give me something to actually talk about for awhile! I'm just not creative so this will keep me busy. Nevertheless, I am very excited to talk about everything that's been going on. *Spoiler alert* it's pretty awesome.

All that being said, since I'm not creative, I've decided to make yall do the work for me. So, in either a facebook message, or a comment on this post (can even be anonymous), tell me something you want me to talk about. It can literally be anything (within reason). You can give me a topic, a question that you've been wondering, anything. Be creative, people.

And just in case you haven't seen this video, enjoy.

Caring

I feel like I haven't been on this thing in FOREVER when in reality, it's only been a few weeks. There's a few reasons I go for awhile without blogging:

1. My life isn't all that interesting

2. Sometimes I have a hard time putting into words what's actually going through my mind

3. I'm flat out too busy(or too lazy) to sit down and type out my thoughts

That being said, you now get to hear my thoughts :)

I've been going to First Woodway here in Waco since I've been at Baylor. We had always just gone to the college service but recently we started going to the actual church service because we missed seeing people other than college kids. I missed seeing the young families, the elderly couples, and just the church family in general. I'm also doing an internship there this semester which has allowed me to get to know more people in the church. In short, I absolutely love the church and the people in the church. I've been able to see how they've clung to Christ after the death of two ministers and how they've used that to grow as a body in Christ together. Don't get me wrong, FBC Rockport will always be my home and they will never be replaced. However, doesn't growing up also include moving on? All of this considered, I'm thinking about moving my membership to First Woodway. And it makes me sad to even say that because I feel like I'm abandoning my church family. It makes me sad to think that I'll walk into FBC Rockport and no longer be a member of the church. Am I being too emotional about this? Probably. I can already hear most of you saying, "Now Erin, just because you aren't a member in the books doesn't mean you aren't a member in our hearts." And I know this. I know my church family won't hate me if I change memberships but it still makes me sad. 

Being too emotional about things leads me into my next thought that's been running through my head lately. I've always had a passion for helping people. Obviously, this means that I care a great deal about people. I do my best to put other peoples needs, feelings, and emotions before mine.  I feel like I automatically put someone before myself and it keeps getting me thrown under the bus. But if someone is going to get hurt, I would rather it be me because I know I'll be fine and I'll move on. So do I care too much? Is it even possible to care too much? On the other hand, I cherish this quality about myself because I think it shows Christ's love through me. I would never want to not have this caring trait but it sometimes gets frustrating.

So that's what's been going through my head the past week or so. I know some of yall want to hear about my trip to Honduras and you will eventually. I'm still processing what I saw and what I'm supposed to do now that I'm back so once I get that figured out, then I'll talk about it.

I'm going home Thursday for Easter and I'm so excited. Since I wasn't in Rockport for Spring Break, I'm looking forward to getting to spend time with family and friends and just take in the beauty of Rockport! 

One more thing! I'm obsessed with this song right. I absolutely love the lyrics and the meaning that it conveys. 

*edit-this is easily the most personal blog post I've ever done and it makes me slightly uncomfortable to allow everyone to see it. However, I'm assuming the only people that read this are those that legitimately care about me. So why not allow it to be put out there?

Figuring it out

When I was in elementary school, I remember thinking, "Man, when I'm 20, I'm gonna have it all figured out." I just knew that I would fulfill all my hopes and dreams by the ripe age of 20 years old. I really did think that by this time in my life, I would know who I was gonna spend the rest of my life with, I would know what my career would be, and I would have life all figured out. You know what? I know absolutely none of those answers to those questions. None. I haven't found "the one", I don't know what I'm going to do with my life, and I certainly don't have it all figured out. However, I've recently figured out that no one has life all figured out. But you know what?

It's okay! 

I don't have to have it all figured out. I don't have to know what my life plan is. When it comes down to it all, it doesn't matter what my plans are. I'll admit, I have huge expectations for my life. I dream about where I want to be in 20 years and I dream big. I want to help families. I want to show them the love of Christ. I want to bring people to Jesus. I want to be married to a man that loves Christ more than He loves me. When my life is finished, I want to hear God tell me, "Well done, child." Honestly, those dreams slightly freak me out because they're big. 

However, those dreams are NOTHING compared to what God has in store for my life. My dreams are big but God's dreams for me are bigger. 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20

Valentines Day and such

Tomorrow is Valentines Day. If you didn't know that and you have a significant other, I think some stores are still open and if you get lucky, you could probably find a one dollar box of assorted chocolates. But let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Along with Valentines Day comes the flood of Facebook statuses about people(mainly girls) wishing they had a Valentine for the day. They want that special someone to share their love with.

LISTEN UP LADIES: You do not need a guy to make you complete!!

You do not need a man to make your life whole. I realize it's really awesome when you find someone, but don't think that you're gonna die alone because you haven't found anyone by the age of 18. Your worth does not depend on the guy you aren't/are dating.

Rant over.

I've started my internship at First Woodway and I couldn't be more excited about it. I'm loving getting to know the people at Woodway better and I'm so glad I'm able to get this experience. It's only 3-4 hours a week so it's not a lot but I'm still super happy that this opportunity was given to me. I have a conference time with my mentor once a week, I'm involved in a discipleship bible study on Wednesdays that is based on raising Godly children, I'll be involved with different groups starting up a family ministries program and also one that is developing a curriculum for a family devotional based on missions.

It's also nice that people up here are getting to know my heart and my passions with ministry. I've been up here for almost two years and people know my personality and what I like/dislike. However, it's nice that a person within the church is getting to know my heart for families within the church. Also, as much as I absolutely LOVE Rockport and FBC Rockport, it's kinda nice that the people at First Woodway just know me as Erin. They don't know me as Bobby and Kathryn's Daughter. Or Courtney and Joey's sister. Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely proud to be known as those things. However, it's nice that they just know me for me. They know me as Erin, the girl from Baylor that is passionate about working with families and helping them grow closer to Christ.

Thankfulness

I'm in an Intro to Ministry class this semester which I absolutely love. It's a small class so we're able to discuss things and I find it super interesting to see all the different viewpoints thrown into the pot. We each came from a home church and we each attend a church here in Waco. Each of those churches have given us different experiences. Today, we were talking about the polity, or government, of the church. This is a topic that I honestly didn't even pay attention to until I was called into ministry. We talked about deacons, elders, committees, senior pastors, the whole bit.

At FBC Rockport, we have multiple ministers, deacons, committees, and of course, the congregation. After hearing the experiences of the other students in my class, I was reminded how blessed and thankful I am. I heard stories of abuses of power by the head pastor, abuse by the head pastor, hatred from the congregation towards a number of different ministers, and it just left me shocked. I'm so thankful for a loving church family. I'm thankful for a head pastor that deeply cares about his church congregation. I'm thankful for a head pastor that tells us the Word of God whether we want to hear it or not; whether it's easy to hear or not. I'm thankful for a church family that has always supported me, prayed for me, and loved me for who I am. I'm thankful for my church obeying Christ by sending out members on multiple mission trips. I'm so thankful.

In a number of my Child and Family Studies classes, we get into some deep topics. I hear stories from students that involve abuse, tragedy, hatred, sorrow, and disappointment from their parents. I'm constantly reminded of how thankful I am for my family. I have a family that unconditionally loves me. I have parents that support my actions and show me a glimpse of Christs' love for His children. I grew up in a household absent of hate, abuse, and violence. I'm so so so thankful for that. I hear classmates talk about siblings that don't talk anymore or parents that have caused them to not believe in love. I'm so thankful for awesome siblings. I'm so thankful for a family that has showed me how to live out my faith. How to show people love. How to truly trust in Christ in every situation. I'm so thankful. I'm so blessed.

I don't want this post to come off as bragging because I'm definitely not. I'm simply putting into words how awesome God is. I'm stating how undeserving of this I am, yet He gives me so much. He gives me more than I could ever ask for and I'm so thankful. 

Spring Semester

I've officially been to all of my classes and I have to say, I'm pretty excited about my classes! I say that now, but ask me in 2 months, and I might have a different answer. So here's all you'll want to know about my classes this semester...

Nutrition

I'm not too terribly excited about this class but I'm also not dreading it. The teacher seems really nice as most of them are in the Family and Consumer Science department. Embarrassing story time. On the first day of class, I went into the room, sat down, got my binder out, and then realized I was in the wrong class. I'm a junior, people!! I should not be going to the wrong room anymore! So once I got to the right room (on time, actually!), I was able to actually get a feel for the class. 

Introduction to Ministry

I already LOVE this class. First off, there's only 13 of us in the class which is always great. Then, instead of desks, we sit around a big round table in comfy chairs. Then, my professor told us that he is going to take our class out to dinner(and pay!) in the next month so he can get to know us all outside of the classroom setting. How awesome is that?! I absolutely love Baylor professors. In the class, we get paired up with a minister in town that goes along with the ministry we are going into. For that internship, we spend 3-4 hours a week with that minister getting hands on experience in that field. Super excited about it!

British Literature

Bleh. Not my thang. However, the professor seems super nice and he's very passionate about the subject. I can tell that he desperately wants us to love the literature just like he does. Still. Bleh.

Child and Family Policy and Advocacy

This class is for my Child and Family Studies major so I already love it. I love the professor and I love how he runs class. He's very laid back and really wants us to learn the material and be passionate about it. As a class, we also get to take a trip to Austin for a conference on Family Relations. And we get to track a bill throughout the semester to see the whole process. I think it'll be super interesting! 

Family Stress, Transition, and Resilience

I'm super excited about this class! The professor that teaches it is my adviser and I've had her many times before and I absolutely love her. Once again, it's a Child and Family Studies class so I'm already in love. The class is very open and there's a lot of discussion so I think it'll be really interesting.

In case you weren't aware, it's stinkin cold up here. Not just like chilly, but painfully and miserably cold. I was walking to class today at 12:30 and the wind blew ice out of the tree and onto my face. Umm excuse me, I grew up in South Texas, this girl is not used to this cold nonsense. 

By Our Love

Brothers, let us come together 

Walking in the Spirit, there's much to be done...

We will come reaching, out from our comforts

And they will know us by our love...

Sisters, we were made for kindness

We can pierce the darkness as He shines through us...

We will come reaching, with a song of healing...

And they will know us by our love!

The time is now

Come Church arise...

Love with His hands

See with His eyes...

Bind it around you,

Let it never leave you,

And they will know us by our love...

Children, You are hope for justice,

Stand firm in the Truth now, set your hearts above

You will be reaching, long after we’re gone,

And they will know you by your love! 

Christmas, Passion, Back to School

I'm gonna start off by saying that there is absolutely no way that I can possibly put into words everything that has happened over the past few weeks. I feel like my break was only one week long but it also feels like I've been out of school for so long! 

We'll talk about Christmas first. Joey and Courtney got to come home for Christmas which is always very nice. Unfortunately, Justin didn't get to come because he had to work. Now that we're older, I love the time that we all get to spend together. I'm not quite sure I like this whole "growing up" business, though. I miss my siblings too much! Anywho, my grandpa was able to come home on Christmas Eve which was definitely an answer to prayer! It's been a difficult few weeks getting him settled at home and making sure he behaves, but I think things have finally stayed positive for a few weeks and there is an end to his injury at last! He was even able to come to Sunday School on Sunday and I know that being back in church just made him so happy. He's been missing his church family like crazy so I'm glad he's finally able to go back. Christmas included lots and lots of family, food, laughter, and Jesus! Just how it should be, right?

A week after Christmas, 22 of us loaded into vans and started the 16 hour drive to Atlanta, Georgia for Passion 2013. People keep asking me how Passion was and I just keep telling them it was awesome but I honestly have no idea what to tell them. I'll try my best to explain it so you can understand a glimpse of how awesome it was. First off, it was very encouraging. People describe my generation as lazy, self-centered, and rude. I spent 4 days with 60,000 young adults that would prove that wrong. I think it's hard to comprehend just how crazy 60,000 people is. To be in a stadium with 60,000 people worshiping Christ was an experience I will never forget. It was so encouraging to see all those people and know they are in love with Christ and that even after Passion, they will go out and set the world on fire with His love. 

God always does some pretty awesome things during Passion, and let me tell you, He definitely didn't disappoint this year. I mean, with 60,000 people desiring to know God more, Francis Chan, Louie Giglio, Beth Moore, John Piper, Lecrae, David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, and Kristian Stanfill, how could things not be awesome? For me, God showed me how I need to give more to Him. More time, more love, more energy, more trust, and more faith. He does SO much for me and He deserves so much, yet I give him so little. So that's what God put on my heart. Ask other people that went and I'm sure they'll be more than happy to tell you about their experience. I couldn't have asked for a better group to spend 4 days in Atlanta and 32 hours on a van with. We all got really close and we're ready to make a difference. 

Also at Passion, we learned about slavery in the world today. Right now there are 27 million enslaved people around the world. That's just crazy. These slaves include children as young as preschool, which is very hard to understand. At Passion, we raised $3,170,000 for human slavery. To learn more about it, go to enditmovement.com. Plus, watch this video:

http://cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2013/01/08/exp-passion-movement.cnn.html

I could've (and probably should've) taken a million pictures while we were in Atlanta, but these are just a few of the ones I had. 

 This is my awesome family group. Out of the 60,00 people, you split into Community Groups based on the color you are assigned. After that, you're placed in a family group of 8-10 people that you've never met before. You end up sharing things with them that you normally wouldn't share and it's just really awesome. 

So that's the very short version of Passion! I leave to go back to Waco tomorow and I'm still not packed. It'll be nice to be back in Waco, but it's always very hard for me to leave Rockport after I've had a long break. However, I am excited for this semester and everything that is happening!