Never, never pin your whole faith on any human being: not if he is the best and wisest in the whole world. There are lots of nice things you can do with sand; but do not try building a house on it.
C. S. Lewis

But i guess sometimes you have to learn the hard way...

Oh i do enjoy having the house to myself it's times like tonight that make me want to get my own apartment..and quick.. So my parents are away. anyway Jen& tammy come over it was quite alot of fun then Genna comes over and we finaly watch the season final of our fav show lost...we were at a play on wed so we taped it.and wathced it for the first time tonight..i think it would have been funny to watch us we went from tears to laughter to screaming . Then came the pillowfight. then around10 we start racking the grass.OH what fun.. i think the people next door think i'm insane. But i've decided to become nocturnal for the weekend.
So Goodmoring every one!!!!i'm going to finish racking the grass!

Teens encounter Christ.

So i went to TEC this week end and now i'm rather tired and a bit confused when it comes to time haha.Although for me the weekend wasn't always easy and i ther were some really tuff things going on i can say that God was there and i was changed personally.Now i don't want to go into to much detail for several reasons including not wanting to ruin the suprise for any one who hasn't gone yet.during the service sunday i saw and experinced things i had never had before.I was filled with a joy that i cannot even begin to discribe and for no reason at all i laughed for an hour,it felt great. and the joy didn't stop with the laughing i was given a weird feeling the only way i can discribe is saying that its like having 20 coffees(which i've done) but better and without the twiching it was truly the time i've had so much Joy just to live...and to me alive in christ. though now i'm going through the back from ,insert christian event here, low.

Gotta love the rain.

Again i'm amazed by God's abitlity to work through the bad things in life flip them upside down and turn it into someting beautiful.so the other day was an example of that.I was having a rough day ...so i decided to ask my wonderful newish friend Jen Fry if she'd like to talk.so after puppets i biked to Jen's.Unfourtnatly it was raining amd i got rather wet. But it wasn't that bad i would dry...haha thats what i thought, God had other plans!
So i arrived at jen's and we headed off to the tannis court/base ball field. A great place for a chat.
Well it started raining harder. i meen hard and continued to rain.And at first it kinda sucked cause well we were getting wet. So we decided to yell at the top of your lungs that we " Love the rain" to make ourselfs think that we did ..and it worked.. So we hopped some safety tape and a fense being the rebels we are and played on the unfinished playground.that night we spent almost 2 hours in the pouring rain ,till be were soaked to the skin, Praying at the top of our lungs unafraid of any one hearing. We laughed and laughed it was great. We met god in the rain that night and i will never forget it. Then it got dark and i realised that i still had to bike home.but it was dark and wet so we headed to jen's Got into flannel Pj's and drank mink and had chocolate cookies.It was rather enjoyable. I can now say I LOVE THE RAIN!

This is Mike caines song Come unto me.This song meens so much to me in so many ways.apart from sounding beautiful. i used to fall asleep every night to this song. It's a great promise and is so comforting.it's amazing really it calms me down without fail.It's one of my fav verses.
Also it's important to me cause it remindes me of and awsome memory in NYC.
-->My team was going to Gold water hospital for terminally ill patients.mostly Aids. And to tell you the truth i was scared i had no idea how to relate to anyone there . But god worked through it any way. in fact it was probly greatest thing that happend in NY.any way i was walking through the hall with paul when a man waved us into his room. The man was weak and you could tell it took all his strengh to lift his arms but the first thing he did was raise his arms and say " I love God".The man's name was victor and he was dying from aids. but he was absolutly beaming .we prayed with him then sang this song ( come unto me) it had been on my own and Paul's heart all week and it was great. victor was trying to talk and lift his arms and was so happy. i couldn't grasp how someone that close to death could smile.But wait that isn't even the most amazing part! when we left the hospital we were talking to our guide about our expirences and we told her about victor.She got super excited and then told us that the day befor, the other half of our team had visited victor and he had given his life to christ.When they saw him the first time he was so sick that he wasn't talking and couldn't move. But the VERY next day he was trying to talk and move and he was beaming. What a wonderful God we serve!it showed me how much god can do for someone. So maybe victor won't be compleatly healed (although it's compleatly possible with God)But i think god did some healing that day and not just phycially.



Come unto Me
All you who labour and are heavy laden
And I will give you rest
Come unto Me
All you who labour and are heavy laden
And I will give you rest

For who when he asks
For a loaf of bread
Shall receive a stone
Not from Me says the Lord
Oh not I
For he who seeks shall find

You said come unto me
All you who labour and are heavy laden
And I will give you rest
You said come unto me
All you who labour and are heavy laden
And I will give you rest

Yea though I walk
Through the valley of the shadow of death
I’ll fear no evil
For Thou art with me
Thy rod and staff
They comfort me

I am so close to unpluging my computer and literly threowing it out the window!ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. i SPENT AT LEAST AN HOUR AND A HALF TYPING AND THEN WHAT DO YOU KNOW MY COMPUTER DECIDES TO SHUT OFF!AND GUESS WHAT HAPPEND..YES I LOST IT ALL! AND I AM RATHER ANGRY./.THATS AND UNDERSTATMENT.AND IF YOU KNOW ME I DON'T GET ANGRY VERY OFTEN OR EASILY.
SO I RAN AROUND MY HOUSE FINDING EVERY SCAP PEICE OF PAPER AND PROCEDED TO PUT IT THROUGH THE SHREDDER WELL I DID SOME MANUALLY.tHEN I FOUND THE BIGGEST PILLOW IN MY HOUSE AND THROUGH IT OFF MY DECK SEVERAL TIMES. and amazingly i feel much better now.

So we went to a movie tonight and if you'd like to read the book the Hodge family wrote it's call "106 steps to take if you want to go to a movie" Volume 1 you can find it in your local book store. Oh my. right to clear that up for those of you who don't get it . my family could write a book on every thing we do..every thing has to be so complicated. and as most of you would know i'm not like that at all. Screw the details my new moto is " just do it" with option of inserting shutup in front ,depending on the situation of course.Any way i'm not a details person and now i'm rather tired as i find it all slightly overwhelming ,unnessicary and stressful. Right..so g-night every one
-Hodge

i'll be your hands and feet

This song discribes how i want to be. I want to be able to just go where god sends me with out fear, with his help of course.Latly i've been so consumed with the thought of going back to new york that i havn't given god a chance to Tell me where HE wants me to go. Maybe it is new york untill now i had thought so but maybe there's something else out there for me.My prayer is for him to show me and for courage to be able to follow his will.

An image flashed across my TV screen

Another broken heart comes into view

I saw the pain, and I turned my back

Why can't I do the things I want to?

I am willing yet I'm so afraid

You give me strengthWhen I say

I wanna be Your hands

I wanna be Your feet

I'll go where You send me

I'll go where You send me

I'll be Your hands

I'll be Your feet

I'll go where You send me

I'll go where You send me

And I try, yeah I try

To touch the world like You touched my life

An I'll find my way

To be Your hands

I've abandoned every selfish thought

I've surrender everything I've got

You can have everything I am

And perfect everything I'm not

I am willing, I'm not afraid

You give me strengthWhen I say...

This is the last time

I turn my back on You

From now on I'll go out

Send me where You want me to

I finally have a mission

I promise I'll complete

I don't need excuses

When I am Your hands and feet

I am Your hands and feet

oh the wonderful sun

isn't it amazing how you can lay in the sun for hours and think you havn't even tanned only to walk inside and discover that you should't fall asleep in the sun for that long haha. three cheers for wonky tan lines!

Oh what I long but wonderful day.
John boy picked me up at 6:45 am and we headed to town.Our first stop..T-ho's or as most people refer to it as Tim horton's.I grabbed my caffeinated bevridge and headed to stone chruch.Sitting in between the main doors locked out john knocked pointlessly on the windows.about 10 min later we saw movment .We were let in and i proceded to jump on JEN FRY to wake her up haha.
We then went to harbor station to volonteer for the free for all event to minister to people and hand out free toys and food.It was a great time. Then we went for a people hunt to find people we knew up town. After seeing genna,karen and faith we found the stone chruch crew and hung with them the rest of the day.
twas a great day

Jesus all for Jesus

could have, would have, should have. i'm constantly worrying about thing about what i'm going to do today, tommorow, when i graduate, 10 years from now act..
This song has really spoken to me latly.

Jesus, all for Jesus,
All I am and have and ever hope to be.
Jesus, all for Jesus,All I am and have and ever hope to be.

All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into Your hands.
All of my ambitions, hopes and plans
I surrender these into Your hands.

For it's only in Your will that I am free,
For it's only in Your will that I am free,

Jesus, all for Jesus,
All I am and have and ever hope to be.

-->Jesus i surrend these into your hands..

-Erin

New york dreaming

Oh...how i've been dreaming about new york latly.I think i'm called to do another mission there.I have a feeling that God may put me there for a year or two after i graduate. might just wait a year for John boy though. Oh i can't wait till i graduate.

when you need it most.

Right so today was one of those days where you wished you stayed in bed.It felt like morning all day long...
But it's amazing how great things happen when you least expect it and when you need it the most.I'm so thankful for my awsome christian friends...And for your prayers.Thanks jen for the pray on bus ride home.
God is truly there when your at your worst, as always.
-Hodge

debate with complete stranger.

oh my how could i forget. yesterday i had the shortest best conversation ever ..well it was more of debate .i was standing in the line at ryes and a compleat stranger asked my if they had ice . i replyed yes and then he bagan listing all the reasons why one must put ice in their soda and i just happen to be anti ice in soda and told him why. so we had a nice little talk...but i'm still anti ice.

-hodge

ONE LAST COMMENT TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DUBED ME A "GERMAPHOBE"..ERIN HODGE ,PURELL ADDICT ,HELD A PIGION-- YES I HELD A DIRTY PIGION...BUT THE PURELL DID COME IN HANDY AFTER..

LATER

OH.WHAT.A.DAY.

WELL I HAD ONE OF THE MOST ER..(SEACHING FOR WORD)WONDERFUL LOVELY DAYS IN AGES.YES AGES.MY DAY WAS JAMBACKED WITH RANDOM AND MEMORABLE EVENTS. IT ALL STARTED OUT LIKE A NORMAL SUNDAY.....
-->I WOKE UP TO THE STATIC OF MY RADIO,THAT IS ALWAYS A LITTLE OFF OF THE RADIO STATION, AND GOT READY FOR MY RATHER CRAZY FRIEND JEN FRY TO PICK ME UP FOR CHUCH.WE WENT TO STONE.WHICH I RATHER ENJOYED AND AM CONSIDERING VISITING MORE OFTEN.ANY WAY TO CONTINUE WITH MY DAY..WE COULD NOT DECIDE WHERE TO HEAD TO FIRST...AND TO TELL YOU THE TRUTHWITH THE WHOLE DAY AHEAD OF US WITH ALMOST NO PLAN I WASN'T WORRIED CAUSE THAT IS THE KIND OF THING I THRIVE ON.SO WE WERE DIRECTED TO KING SQUARE WHICH FRY THOUGHT WAS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION HAHA.WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE PARK WE BEGUN TO FEED THE PIGIONS OUR FOOD...OH WELL.WE HAD QUITE A TIME WITH THE BIRDS FROM BIRDS ON OUR ARMS TO IN MY BOOKBAG.tHE WE HEADEDV TO LUNCH AND TO MY A LIGHTER LITTLE DID JEN KNOW THAT I WAS PLANING ON USING IT HAHA.WE WENT TO THE VOLLYBALL COURTS AND PROCEDED TO BUILD A FIRE! ERIN HEARTS FIRE.
AFTER LYING IN THE SUN AND HAVING A GREAT CONVERSATION WE MET CHEY AND TAMMY.THE DAY CONTINUED TO GO COMPLEATLY RANDOM WITH FEEDING PIGIONS AND MORE FIRE AND A LITTLE TO MUCH COFFEE..OH COFFEE HOW I LOVE THAT STUFF.
OVER ALL IT WAS A GREAT DAY . PART OF A GREAT WEEKEND. MOVIES&PIGIONS& LOTS OF FIRE AND MOST OF ALL SOME GREAT CONVERSATIONG AND FELLOWSHIP WITH SOME AMAZING CHRISTIAN PEOPLE THAT GOD HAS PUT INTO MY LIFE.THANKYOU LORD FOR A WONDERFUL ANFD LOVVELY DAY.

CHEERS.
ERIN GRACE HODGE

-->LIFT UP THAT CHIN AND WATCH OUT FOR BIRD POOP.

ahhh.the smell of freshly cut grass and a light sprinkle of rain.-- now this is what i call spring.

What have you been doing latly?....nothing.

What have you been doing latly?....nothing.
isn't that alot of people's response to that question.it is certainly mine.It seems as if nothing really has happend for a very long time, but i know tons of things actualy have happend.do you ever get that feeling that you don't really have controle over your own life. i guess it can be a good and bad thing. it's good when you know that God is in control and you have nothing to fear. But right now i feel as if i'm on a train going ...nowhere. and nothing i do will change the direction of the train. The sound of the train won't seem to go away.
-Hodge

So today is good friday and i was sitting in church thinking about the amazing gift that jesus gave us the gift of life. he died willingly because he loved us each so much, each wipping he took was for me and for you . He died so that we could be free from the bonds of this world.so today i'm lifting up all my worries and troubles up to the lord and lying them at the foot of the cross.
-Hodge

So i was thinking today how negative this blog will sound if i only ask my self about the little rocks. I should also write about the positive things, days when i feel like i'm running bare feet across perfect white sand beaches.
So here are the perfect beaches that i've experinced latly.
-talking till 12:30am on the phone with a friend that i had feared i was losing touch with.
-having a 4 year old boy run and jump into my arms and give me the best hug i've ever had, for no reason at all!
-having a group of kids look up to me and really listen to me.
-knowing that i have people in my life that love me for who i am.
-having guys that aren't really my brothers become more like my brothers than ever before.
So these are just a few of the positive things, blessings, and joys that make the walk a little more enjoyable.
Hodge

undoing the laces.

so..i think the first question i need to ask myself is :where did i pick up the rock?i'm not sure if i can really figure out where i picked up the first rock but i presume it was quite a few years ago so for now i'll focus on today.
Where and when did the rock get in my shoe today?
- it might have been when i first woke up..i woke up knowing that today was going to be one long day.i had a pain the head and my hands had gone mysteriously numb.i walk down staires only to fight with my mother.Great start to my day.
-or it could of been on the bus.
-or when my hands became so numb that i had a hard time moving them
-or it could of been when i failed two chemistry tests in one week.
-or it could of been in art class listening to the people beside me talk about things that they know nothing about but unfourtunatly i struggle with every day. They make judgements and jokes and i can't say a thing because then they would know who i am and what i live with.
-or was it after art class when i made myself belive that the things they said were true.
-or it could of been when i came back home only to fight with my mother a little more.
-or when i was running through the rain and tripped off the curb and twisted my ancle
-or when the lady treated my like i was 8.
-or when i downed 4 cups of black coffee so that i could feel somewhat alert
-or when i had to say bye to the people who when i'm around i feel most like myself.

these were the little rocks in my shoe today and i've have just shaken them out.
-time to start walking again
Hodge

there's a rock in my shoe

Well if i had to sum up my day in one sentence it would be "Once again there's a rock in my shoe."All day i've been walking around with a stupid little rock that got stuck in my shoe when walking.And all day i keep planning to take of my shoe and shake it out, but then i wonder what if someone sees? would look kinda odd? and what if my feet stink? so all day i continued to put up with this stupid little rock ,but by the end of the day it didn't feel quite so little any more .The rock itself hadn't grown but i noticed it more and it hurt more and more every time i walked. Then it hit me this is how i've been living -carring a stupid little rock afraid to deal with it because i might make a fool of my self in the process. but every day, every hour ,each step of this life i take the rock gets heavier sharper and more painful. I've made my self hold on to it for so long that it feels as if i can't get rid of it. so this blog is my attemped at taking off my shoes turing them upside down and shaking the stupid little rocks out. When i'm done i'll put them back one and start my walk again but next time i'll know to get the rock out before it starts hurting.
-hodge