Powis.

We arrived on Wednesday after a 6 hour van ride to a castle in Wales called Powis Castle. And on the grounds of this castle is a temporary YL camp. I say temporary because after these few weeks it is land that cows live on. Bill, the mastermind behind creating this camp, is incredible. I have no idea how he does it. He took a field and made it into a luxury camp for kids- blob, water slide, hot tub, showers, the whole 9 yards.  It was exactly like YL camp in the states just without the resort-like feel and with a UK twist. 

Katie and I had the absolute privilege of leading a cabin of girls from Bangor in Northern Ireland. I can't begin to describe what an impact this group had on me and how much I learned from them. I knew the Lord wanted me in the UK for a reason and now I finally know why. He knew I was supposed to meet these people and lead these girls. It was in His plan all along. I can't believe I'm typing this because I never thought I would say this, but it has totally opened up a new door for me. I had never thought about going on staff internationally before but now I think it's something to really pray about and consider. Watching the Bangor leaders love on each other and love kids was so encouraging. Saying bye to the girls this morning was one of the hardest things I've ever done. You thought I cried while saying bye to you, well you should've seen me after the bus pulled away.  The tears just wouldn't stop.  You hold such a special place in my heart and I know it wasn't "goodbye" but just a "see you later." Bangor, thanks for making this week such an incredible and unforgettable week! Start fundraising now!! 

I can't believe my time in the UK is almost finished.  I have no clue where it went.  The next few days we are touring and such, so the next time I post I will probably be back in America! 

xoxo,
erin with a p and a double r

Camp and Edinburgh

Today has been the best. But before I talk about today let me tell you about the rest of camp this week. Thursday we had a pretty normal day at camp, but a phenomenal night. We had an awesome time with sessions at the high school, had our snack back at the hub, and then went to club. "Today is the day," said Randy at our morning gathering. It was the day the kids were going to hear about the best rescue and love story ever- how Jesus died on the cross for them. Gary presented the message so well- in a way the kids could all understand it. Afterwards, we gave them 10 minutes to go outside and process it and gave them a chance to respond. Many kids did. Lives were changed and it was incredible. Some of these leaders had been walking with these kids for years and had seen them at 3 Stage n' Slams and then got to pray with them that night to receive Christ! We rejoiced and celebrated as a group that night and shared stories of how we saw God working in these kids. It's so cool to be part of lives being changed for eternity!! 

Friday was awesome. It was a little bit different because we had the Highland Games (something we do in the states and actually got to do in Scotland)! Kids were broken into 4 teams for the whole day and competed with each other in a series of crazy games. We had everything from digging for balls in a baby pool with foam in it, to playing tug of war in the mud, to playing sharks and minnows. The grand finale consisted of each team getting tubs of water balloons, flour bombs, shaving cream, and paint to battle all the other teams with. It was so fun to watch all the kids who would be pretty quiet and shy during the week really come out of their shell and just go wild. Then we had kids go back to the hub and rinse off as best as they could while they ate a snack. At club Gary talked about the Resurrection and even more kids began a relationship with Christ. So awesome!! The very last part of the day and the week was spent at Faith Mission Bible College where we had a dinner for kids and where the Opera (the finale of the run-on) took place. Kids went crazy as confetti flew and a dancing broke out. It was the perfect way to end the week.


Today was our touring day. We met at 11, got coffee, and hopped on a double decker bus into downtown Edinburgh. We didn't even have to say anything because people could just look at us and know we were tourists. It was that obvious. We had 25 people traveling in pack with cameras hanging around our necks and backpacks on. The first place I went was the Edinburgh castle. The views from the top of it were spectacular. We wondered around here and there for a couple of hours and soaked up some Scotland history. Afterwards, we went to a place called Nando's for lunch. Then we went to the National Museum of Scotland...so neat!! They had one exhibition that was bunch of stuffed animals everywhere. Then we went to the Elephant House where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter in the back room overlooking Edinburgh Castle. We got tea, lattes, and biscuits (cookies) there. We rushed to get some post cards at a souvenier shop before we had to meet up as a group. For dinner, we went to a wonderful restaurant in the Rockville Hotel located on the Firth of Fifth (look it up on a map and you'll see what I'm talking about). We enjoyed some Haggis (actually I didn't enjoy that so much), Fish n' Chips, and Chocolate Sponge Cake with Custard. It was one heck of a meal. We also watched our first sunset since being here and let met tell you- that sun went out with a bang. It was one of the best sunsets I've ever seen. Now I am going to brush my teeth and put my PJ's on and go to bed. We're hiking Arthur's Seat tomorrow and I'm so excited for that!!

Ready to go tour!

Katie, my roommate, and me. 

On the top of the double decker bus!

The Royal Mile. 

The Edinburgh Castle

View from the top of the Edinburgh Castle!  It was so beautiful!!

The Elephant House...where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter.

Mmmm!

The museum!

View from the 7th floor terrace of the museum!

Two of my favorites- Grace and Joy!

Katie, Brennan, Amanda, and I outside our restaurant!

My delicious dessert!

The view from my seat and the beginnings of the most beautiful sunset!  This was taken at 9:30 p.m.  The sun doesn't set til very late here which can be tricky sometimes!

xoxo,

erin with a p and a double r

Life in Scotland (so far)

I'm typing this while sitting in my bed eating this delicious thing and figuring out where in the world I should begin. It's like a fluffy marshamallow with graham cracker and covered in chocolate. Yum!

It feels like its been nonstop since we've gotten here. Well first of all I did make it, thank goodness. The flights were so great and I met up with one if the girls, Katie, at JFK and now we're roommates! She's the sweetest. She's from New Jersey and goes to Grove City College.  We are staying in a flat with a very sweet lady, Ali, who is super involved with a small church about 100 ft from her flat. We got to go with her to church on Sunday and it was so awesome. The Scots are so friendly and love to know what Americans are like and they love laughing at us. The church, KLM, is a sister church with another called Liberton Kirk which is bigger and they are all part of The Church of Scotland. Then after church we went to The Hub which is just an old church that has a big open room in it now that people use to do all sorts of activities. It's where we have Club and snacks and is the central meeting spot for everyone involved with camp this week.  For dinner Liberton Kirk had us for a Garden Party, or what we call a BBQ, and asked us for their forgiveness because they couldn't do it like we do in the states. It was yummy though and I'm finally realizing how much our portions of food are ridiculously huge in the states (don't say anything mom & dad). Afterwards we went back to the hub to finish getting ready for our first day of Stage n' Slam, the camp we are running for kids here.  I already love the kids here so much!!  It's crazy how fast you become close to them and your heart just starts breaking for them.  The community here is incredible. All 3 churches here in Edinburgh are working together with tons of others to pull off this camp. It's for years (grades) S-1 (6th grade) through S-6 (12th grade) which is a huge age difference. S stands for secondary which is high school and goes from S-1 to S-6 and P stands for primary school and goes from P-1 to P-5.

Monday was the first day of camp and it was phenomenal. We started at 1 p.m. at the high school, Gilmerton H.S., where kids could choose from golf, American football, drama, dance, and gymnastics for 2 different sessions. The program team is awesome and I've loved getting to know them and their families. Eric Hoffman from Dayton, Ohio is the main program guy and he brought 2 others from Dayton to help him out. Gary Wilmer from Baltimore is our speaker and is incredible. I can't wait to hear from him more this week. God is already on the move here and it's so evident. We shared tonight as a group how we saw God today and the ways we've seen Him move is so exciting!!  Yesterday was awesome too.  I learned more kids names and had great conversations with them.  Getting to hang out with the 13 girls on my team has been so great.  Each of them are so fun to be around.  Today was exceptionally awesome.  My favorite day yet.  We started off at the high school like normal but after the sessions we went to Faith Mission Bible College and set up a super cool Clubble!!  It's a huge plastic bubble that you have club in, hence the name Clubble!  But before they got to go in the Clubble we set up the longest gutter ice cream sundae I have ever seen!  I feel like each day just keeps getting better and better.  I already love this place.  Thinking about moving here...oops maybe I should pray about that one first. 

Here are some pictures from the week so far!  These are all taken from my iPhone, but I have lots more on my camera!!

At Norfolk airport getting ready to board!

Captain America (Alex) and an American football player (Andy) greeted us at the Scotland airport!  Classic Young Life.

Hillary baking lots and lots of cookies for kids.  The kids never really have gooey cookies so they think it's a big deal when we fix them like that.

Nina with all our luggage in the back.  Think we have enough?  See those bins?  The program guys brought 6 of them that they had to check! 

Our "Garden Party" at a local church.

The church...

Stage n' Slam Day 1 at the high school. 

The Hub (where club is) all decorated!  The themes is the Avengers!

Some of my favorite Scots showing me their dance moves.  So glad they love dancing as much as I do! 

The first Dairy Milk chocolate bar I ate and now I'm addicted. 

The pub/where they have social functions.

That's Katie on the right, Carley and Meagan from Texas, and Ewen from Edinburgh!

I'm OBSESSED with the Olympics so of course I freaked when I saw this!

This place is so unreal!! I decided I was moving here when I saw this...

And this...

Ok this picture is sooo bad but it's so cool!  It's the Queen's palace in Edinburgh and you can tell if she's there or not if the flag is up or down.  And the flag was up!!  She was there for a Garden Party.  One of the gaurds flashed a light at us through the window but we were fine. 

The Clubble!!

Inside the Clubble!

The longest and yummiest gutter ice cream sundae everrrrr!

 That's all for now! 

xoxo,

erin with a p and a double r

Savannah Part 2

It's sunny and cold here in Harrisonburg and even flurried a little bit yesterday.  Harrisonburg weather is the strangest.  While I'm sitting outside freezing my dad was on the phone telling me that him, my mom, and my sister were laying out by the pool in South Carolina after a walk on the beach.  And now I just got a picture of them taking a carriage ride through Charleston.  What a life.  I'm a little bitter if you can't tell.  It's my sister's spring break and they are living it up on Edisto Island.  I'm so glad my parents get to relax and rest for the week.  If you knew how busy they've been these past couple of months, you would know that they need and deserve this break.  Missing you guys and looking forward to seeing you on Saturday. Enjoy the last couple of days of your vacation!  


Our spring break in March was windy and cold.  This part of the trip is my absolute favorite though.  We were total tourists with maps and cameras and asking people questions and I absolutely loved it.  This is also my favorite part of the video because it shows how goofy all my suite mates are.  They make me laugh like no other.  So here's part 2...enjoy!

These girls are the best.

xoxo,
erin with a p and a double r




      

Savannah

This is a long overdue blog post.  Spring break was weeks ago, but the trip was SO good I need to share.  It was the perfect mix between relaxing and sight seeing and more relaxing.  The weather wasn't 80 degrees and sunny everyday, but that was fine.  We made the best of it.  The 6 days were filled with card games (Monopoly Deal is our new favorite), lots of cooking, celebrating Ali's 20th birthday, golf cart rides, exploring downtown, dining out (went to Paula Deen's restaurant and it was delicious but made us feel sooo sick), going to the Savannah Candy Kitchen, watching movies every night, and just enjoying our time with each other outside of school life.  Laura's parents were so kind to let us use their house down there and we are so appreciative!! Ali and I wanted to make a little video to remember our trip and we had lots of time in the car to do it so we did.  We used Ali's flip camera for some of it and my camera for other parts.  I hope this is something we will look back on years from now and remember how great it was.  So here we go...here's part 1 of the video of our spring break trip to Savannah:

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! I've been saying this all day.  It's so exciting!  This morning's message at church was banging. Matt talked about how being with Jesus is when you will see Jesus and seeing is a way of talking about understanding.  And what matters in a life of faith is your relationship with Jesus, it was then and it is now.  Simple as that.  We are in a state of death when we fail to recognize the reality of the Resurrection in our lives and the Resurrection is a current reality.  My biggest takeaway was that we need to go and tell so we may come and see!  If you go and tell without knowing where you are going it doesn't matter as long as you are going and telling.  Love that.  


Happy Easter!     


xoxo,
erin with a p and a double r

the magnificence of the gospel

Richmond Weekend was beyond great.  Traveling there on Friday afternoon I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning- so giddy and excited.  I couldn't wait to be with the Young Life leaders in our region and to see my sweet friends and family and to be spiritually fed.  I came into the weekend craving Jesus.  And He did not fail.  He used Casey Dunn and spoke right to me. 


Casey talked about the magnificence of the gospel and how the gospel is the one thing that changes everything.  There were so many great reminders of the gospel and other things that I was so convicted of doing or teaching.  The gospel is news, not advice- making it unique because every other religion gives advice.  And with that, he asked the question, "How often do I teach kids what to do, not what Jesus did for them?"  Wow, convicted of that one.  A sweet reminder was that if I am in Christ, I am perfectly righteous without blemish and I am not to let the evil one take that away.  Don't you love when the same themes come across your path over and over again and you know it must be the Lord wanting to teach you something?  Well that's how this weekend felt.  I've been studying Galatians lately and if you don't know, it's all about Paul teaching the Gentiles that faith is not earned by being "good," obeying laws or traditions, or by works.  Salvation is only earned  by faith in Christ.  Only by faith in Christ. And I know this, but it's so easy to forget it. I know the Lord has been trying to show me this over and over again.  Because then Casey said, "I am accepted therefore I obey, not I obey to be accepted."  Ouch.  I'm guilty of this one.  How badly I want to remember that and know that nothing I do will ever make me lose or gain the Lord's love for me.  Casey said that this is the great dichotomy of the gospel: That we were so sinful Christ had to die for us, but so beloved that he wanted to die for us.  Have I forgotten the great love of Jesus?  Am I applying the gospel to my life before sharing it with others? HE LOVES ME DEEPLY & REMARKABLY.   Do I believe it?! 


Gosh, I was convicted with so many things.  I'm so grateful for the Lord's forgiveness and so glad He has called me out on these things. 


Friday night we had our first session and hung out and caught up with friends afterwards.  Saturday morning we had another session and then broke out into 2 smaller sessions which were awesome.  Saturday afternoon was my favorite though.  It was so laid back and spent with all my favorite people.  I went to Red Robbin with Virginia Beach and afterwards went to HomeGoods, REI, Starbucks, Target, and Hobby Lobby.  I am officially obsessed with HomeGoods.  I got the 2 cutest aprons that I cannot wait to cook in next year! (probably won't happen though).  It was just the best afternoon.  Mom, Dad, and Morgan were there with Rob and Stacey and Lauren and Mrs. Bradshaw and Hannah and Grace and Abby and Erin.  Ahhhh they're all just the best.  Anyways, that night we dinner together as an area which was so great and afterwards had another session.  We headed out the next morning before the last session to avoid the snow.  The weekend did not disappoint.  Still my most favorite weekend out of the entire year.      


These are the only pictures I took ALL weekend.  Can you believe that?!

Lauren and Grace! 

Jenna, Lauren, and Grace!

Such a sweet friend! Excited to see you Thursday, Erin!

The sisters! We've been neighbors and best friends since Kindergarten! Crazy!!

Virginia Beach ladies!

2 of my most favorite people.

Love you Grace!

Grace and Kelly!

My beautiful sister.  

These ladies are all incredible.  

 xoxo,
erin with a p and a double r