Erika Moore on saying “yes” more often

Erika Moore is an inspiring young woman who has decided to live boldly, be intentional with her time, say “yes” to God more often, and live life adventurously.  Sarah and Erika talk about coffee, Erika’s gap year stories, adventures in Uganda and Turkey, her COVID experience in the Middle East, creativity and so much more. For a twenty year old, Erika shares some wisdom it takes most of us a lifetime to embrace. You cannot listen to this episode and walk away uninspired. And if you struggle with feeling you’re not enough, of that you have nothing to say, or that your age is a barrier to your voice being heard, STAY TO THE END. Erika offers a powerful prayer over you!

Discover more about Erika:

Follow Erika’s blog: https://littlebitofspunk.wordpress.com/

Some quotes from the episode:

"It was definitely a leap of faith because I didn’t know what to expect."

“I know it doesn’t make sense, but I’m just gonna say yes.”

“Just saying yes to God is so awesome.”

“He makes us want it because we want Him.”

"You're right on schedule to the path that God has put you on.” 

“Your journey is not your neighbor's journey.” 

“God has put us all on unique paths.”

“We’re all made in the image of Him but we’re all different.”

“Why do we spend so much time comparing ourselves to others when we’re so amazing?”

“I’m not good enough to do that. And [God’s] like ‘You’re not. But I am.’”

“There’s so much beauty in talking to people younger than you.”

Fun things from the episode:

• Priscilla Shirer’s Radiant book https://amzn.to/3idWxKa
• Kisses for Katie book https://amzn.to/2S9YSeS
• Just Dance game https://amzn.to/30i9eh8
• 1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

View this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/SdO1frxUUSE

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Now That's Something Good Podcast by Sarah Good is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Transcript

Sarah:
[1:30] Hi Erika welcome to the show.
I am so glad you're here so this is exciting everybody listening Erika and I sitting here we have water to drink because sometimes you're talking and I'll send you need a drink if we were to be out talking and we were have coffee are you a coffee drinker.
Okay good I feel like this is a really important question that's become a part of the show now where the will and I have a really deep love for coffee and,
kind of a thing which if you're listening and you don't like coffee it's okay we love you you can still be a part of the now that's something good but what would be your if we were like at a coffee shop what would be your go-to drink.

Erika:
[2:05] Well definitely during the fall I love pumpkin spice like you can't go wrong with anything pumpkin - basic - but I know let's see my go-to at the coffee shop I work at it's probably.

Sarah:
[2:17] Wait you work at a coffee shop.

Erika:
[2:18] I do or get a coffee.

Sarah:
[2:19] It's already getting good just from the beginning.

Erika:
[2:21] Yeah.

Sarah:
[2:22] Tell your drink and then I'm going to hear about the coffee shop.

Erika:
[2:24] Okay so I kind of like to invent a lot of different drinks so I don't really have one drink that I like stick to but I like just an oat milk latte with agave.
Super simple but it's really good.

Sarah:
[2:36] Yes that sounds like something I would drink so what coffee house do.

Erika:
[2:41] Cornerstone Coffee and Troy yeah I don't necessarily I'm not full time anymore just kind of like pick up shifts every now and then but yeah I love it it's a great place to work.

Sarah:
[2:50] I feel like I have so many coffee questions right now but I'm going to try it we might have to come back to that later,
well the reason I started with coffee is we always tell people listening this is just a conversation and the really cool thing about Erika coming in is I really we don't know much about each other.
We're really going to be talking and learning a lot so I'm excited so I feel like I already learned so much your coffee drink oat milk with agave,
love it you work at a coffee shop I don't know what else we really need to know I was Catholic no tell it tell us your name tell us a little bit about who you are.

Erika:
[3:20] Okay I'm Erika I am 20 years old I graduated high school in 2019 after being homeschooled my whole life,
which is great I love being home school I was just telling my friends I will probably always identify as a homeschooler I always come like oh it's because I'm home school even though I'm not home school anymore
I decided to take a gap year just kind of like figure out what I want to do to travel,
um because my junior year God kind of placed that on my heart to just like travel see the world meet people go on service trips and it definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone but I decided last year to kind of,
do that with my time and then a gap year turned into like a gap year and a half going into this semester and so I actually I'll be starting school in January at Moody Bible Institute.

Sarah:
[4:09] Really okay I know Moody by what do you are you doing that online or you actually going there and where is this.

Erika:
[4:13] No I'll be going there it's in Chicago like in the heart of Chicago yes that's good.

Sarah:
[4:18] Okay I knew that okay that's exciting look I already have so many questions the huh okay here we go so let's back up to your Gap year because well actually I want a back way up so do you currently live at home.
And then like just what was your upbringing being home so how many kids have.

Erika:
[4:34] Yeah so I have an older sister who is four years older than me she's 24 and then I have a younger brother who's 11,
so quite the age gap between us all but it's been pretty great I think like for the most part we've all gotten along I mean obviously there's like sibling rivalry in there but I think the age gap kind of us like pushed us closer,
so that's good because like my sister has lived out of the house for a while so just kind of be my brother,
um but yeah we all get along and he's still homeschooled and yeah it's pretty great.

Sarah:
[5:03] What is like one of your best homeschool memories I'm sure you have.

Erika:
[5:08] Oh that's hard always like going into Walmart during school hours and the cashier say oh is it today a holiday no we're home
oh yeah homeschooled yeah we're home school and then they don't make eye contact with you okay.

Sarah:
[5:25] People automatically think something's wrong with you I don't.

Erika:
[5:27] Exactly.

Sarah:
[5:29] I can only like why don't I just totally lost word sympathize with that little bit just because we've homeschooled our kids off and on and so I mean thanks to Corona though everybody has.

Erika:
[5:37] Right right.

Sarah:
[5:39] Schoolers in some way shape or form.

Erika:
[5:40] That's yeah that's crazy I was I was thinking about that and I was like me at all these people that made fun of me for years for being homeschooled are now like oh yeah homeschool this is great I don't delete my bed I'm like this is what I've been telling you for years.

Sarah:
[5:54] Welcome to my life this is so is so.

Erika:
[5:56] Exactly.

Sarah:
[5:57] I love it okay so in high school you did so this we actually kind of you know my oldest daughter because you are a part of LifeLight.

Erika:
[6:03] Yes this is you were part of LifeLight yes.

Sarah:
[6:06] So are you big into theater?

Erika:
[6:08] Yeah I was so my mom's side of the family is pretty big into theater my grandpa was a theater teacher for 30 years
my aunt theater teacher I believe now and that's kind of like the artistic side of me kind of came from my mom's side of the family and so I actually used to want to be a theater teacher as well kind of
following in that part of my family's footsteps but then going into high school like we moved like,
moved at the beginning of my freshman year so it's kind of like a hard time to move and so I didn't get involved in a lot and so I kind of lost like that drive to want to do theater and then it my junior year I got into LifeLight but it still was just kind of like
okay it's like not really my thing I mean I still love it because I love being on stage and singing and Performing but definitely probably not something I want to pursue as a career necessarily.

Sarah:
[6:58] And you are good I didn't really know I follow you on Instagram and the other day you were singing they're playing and singing the do I like to have other... do you sing?

Erika:
[7:06] Yes I sing I love to sing and I don't know if I'm the best singer, but I definitely love it and God is giving me a heart for worship and that's definitely something I want to pursue and the future I used to play the violin,
I'm kind of soft on the piano and guitar so that's something like at the end of high school I was like you know what,
this is what I want to do I want to learn so I just kind of push myself and I did it and.

Sarah:
[7:28] I'm a huge fan of that music is a big part of our world here in the good family and so anytime you can learn something I mean any time just learning anything new and you can I mean.

Erika:
[7:36] Yeah yeah.

Sarah:
[7:38] YouTube you can figure out how to do just about anything so I have to ask you because you were playing and singing and you did a very good job.

Erika:
[7:45] Thank you.

Sarah:
[7:46] But you were singing a really old song so like this this is not scripted this is like so where did that song Grace fall is Grace balls down right.

Erika:
[7:53] Grace Flows Down.

Sarah:
[7:54] Grace Flows Down yep that's an old.

Erika:
[7:56] Yeah I didn't know it was such an old song like well I guess not terribly old it's like 2009 so night I think so I think.

Sarah:
[8:04] I think it's older than because this is how I know I sang it in high school and it would have been before 2009 I think it's like like late 1990s or early 2000 because it was.

Erika:
[8:16] Okay yes yes.

Sarah:
[8:17] The passion band they did the conferences and that Christy Knockels I don't know if you know she was a part of passion way early on and she sang that song we're going to Google search this later because now inquiring minds want.

Erika:
[8:28] Yeah well I heard it for the first time at I was at Matthias Lot.
And the girls sing it and I was just like it just really spoke to me and it was so powerful and so I went home and I was trying to look it up trying to see if I could learn it on the piano,
and I found on Spotify and I was like wow this is like a pretty I mean a fairly old song,
and yeah it's a beautiful song I love the lyrics to it and it just was like one of those that you just saying it's a I feel like it's a true worship song you know you're just asking God for grace to flow down and yeah.

Sarah:
[9:02] Yes I love it it's kind of based off of Amazing Grace the him they use some of those words interchangeably,
we'll make sure to link it so you all can hear the song we're talking about but that's why instead I partly stopped because of the song partly because you were doing such a great job playing and singing I was like this is great this song like I said it brought back memories because I sang it overly long.

Erika:
[9:20] That's awesome yeah.

Sarah:
[9:21] A great song okay Erika let's talk about this Gap year because when I met you so which just were doing tell people how we met how do we even get connected.

Erika:
[9:31] To Fearless Fearless women yeah.

Sarah:
[9:33] We got to be a part of a panel right sharing.

Erika:
[9:35] Right yes which was a great and I kind of knew who you were because of Lily, so I know you were Lily's mom's kind of put that connection and I had listened to you speak at a Fearless Event.
That like way back last fall I was interning and kind of interning with Christy and Andrea.

Sarah:
[9:54] Yeah yeah yeah.

Erika:
[9:55] And so kind of like doing like the more tech side of everything,
and that's how the shadowing her through that event I think you were speaking at it but then yeah we really got connected through this panel that we were on which was awesome and I feel like I really connected to you because we're both like I don't really know what we're doing here but we're just kind of here.

Sarah:
[10:13] Along for the ride what it was great and I love just hearing you talk then and was like I've got to get Erika,
the podcast is going to be awesome I think there's so much that we can be encouraged so as you were telling us then you took a gap year and you just said that tell us about the Gap Year tell us a little more about what did that look like and,
you do well.

Erika:
[10:31] Yeah so initial and initially initially the Gap your was in a plan thing I I didn't necessarily want to do that
I'm like I said at the beginning like my junior year God kind of was like you're gonna do overseas overseas work overseas
overseas missions and I was like no I'm not gonna do that and he was like okay but like that's exactly what you're gonna do but you can just tell yourself that you're not going to and so like the rest of high school was just like God,
putting different people in my life and just confirming things and I just knew oh yep that's God telling me this and so.
I was going to do this program that I was going to be able to do school and go overseas and then I I just like.

[11:17] Wasn't listening to God and I was putting it off and putting it off and I lost that opportunity and and then I had the opportunity to go to Uganda for 10 days and that's been like my all-time.

[11:29] Like favorite plays for a while my dream to go and so when God put the opportunity I was like okay I have to do this but it was going to be like at the first couple weeks of school,
and so I was like well I don't really want to start college and then like start college late I didn't want to go in 3 weeks into the,
first semester so it's like I had to make a tough decision I was like okay
I'll probably just take a gap year that way I can do this and then whatever else happens happens so it's definitely a leap of faith because I didn't know what to expect
and they're like okay so this is great like you have the first couple weeks of you know this semester plan out but like what else I was like I don't really know,
and so I went to Uganda and it was so beautiful like God just spoke to me in so many ways I was like this is it,
actually what you're going to do and it's was so scary because all my life I've been a planner like I have to control everything I have to know what's right in front of me and when you're in that kind of work
you don't know what's going to happen,
like you every day is a is a different day and along with I guess with everybody is like that but specifically this line of work when you learn when you're living overseas,
I'm doing service every day is a different day and you just kind of have to go with the flow and have faith and and trust that God's Got You,
and so I went and I just came back and I was so on Fires like this is what I need to do I don't know how I'm going to get back over there but I'm going to do it so.

Sarah:
[12:50] Okay hold on a second, so Uganda was that in January?

Erika:
[12:53] It was in August sorry sorry.

Sarah:
[12:55] That's okay I'm just trying to keep us on I'm trying to picture all this okay so that was last August.

Erika:
[12:59] Last August okay and so I came home and I was just like okay I don't really know what's next but I'm just gonna go with it,
and so I got to take a couple I just went overseas again with my dad and my sister we went to the UK which was awesome but it like wasn't for like it was just for tourist stuff,
so that was really awesome I got to spend time with them and then it was like back way back in the last summer so before I even like started my Gap year I knew I wanted to go overseas
for longer than just this you got a trip but I didn't know how that was going to happen and so one of our family friends new people that lived in turkey and they were like
oh you got to get connected with them you gotta you gotta talk to them and I was like I don't know about this and so one thing led to another they got me connected with them and,
and it was just kind of like an idea like oh yeah you should come live with us for a while you could come visit we could get you plugged in whatever
I just really didn't think anything of it I was like this is crazy and as the months progressed I and I went to Uganda came back was like yeah I want to do this and it really that trip to Turkey wasn't nailed down until
probably three weeks before I left and so it was like we bought my plane ticket I think a month out its so it was crazy.

Sarah:
[14:14] For a planner that's a little like...

Erika:
[14:15] Yeah yeah it's crazy it's so.
Yeah I was just it was a whirlwind and my mom was like you really need to get this nailed down like you really need to have a plan I'm like that's the thing I don't know what the plan is like,
I just I'm trying but I just feel like God is just
putting me in with blinders on like this blindfold and I don't know what to do like am I gonna go on my not so it's just like really up in the air and I was like I just have to say yes I think a lot of me like
putting it to the side was exactly that I was putting it to the side because I was scared like this doesn't make sense and everyone was like you're taking a gap year you know people that take Gap years don't ever go back
school and you're never going to be dedicated and I like
again and you're never going to go to school and I never going to the soon you're going to have to go find something else to do but we'll and I'm just like okay this is fantastic I just know that this is what God is calling me to do and it but that is like so discouraging to be in a place where
you know God's calling you to do something but everyone around you is telling you know that's that doesn't make sense,
and so I was like well I know it doesn't make sense but I'm just going to say yes and so I talked to the people in turkey and I was
all right let's do this and so they got everything nail down and and I remember sitting at the airport we.
We were sitting there and it was I don't even know how late I think it's like 10:30 and my flight was leaving in like an hour and a half and and I just.

[15:40] Like I was so paralyzed I couldn't move and I just started crying and my parents are like we're trying to talk to me I was like don't talk to me I can't they're like are you okay if I'm okay in there like you don't have to go like I have to go and we're so we just sat at a table for,
like 30 45 minutes and I just I couldn't move I couldn't bring myself to move and I remember those times like
in those last few moments of being with my family before I got shipped off to overseas I just was giving them hugs over and over again
because it's so scary because I mean you don't know if you're going to come back like you don't know like
anything to happen you're going to be on a flight for 13 hours all right leg over the ocean and I'm going to the Middle East like you know this is it's scary for as a 19 year old girl that I'm like it was scary
and everyone was like oh this is going to happen to you or going to get kidnapped I was like well.

[16:34] Yes they would tell me that and so it was just crazy and I just remember I looked at my parents and I just had to walk away and my mom said as a parent that was the hardest thing that she's ever had to do is just
have me walk away from her
and I couldn't look back I literally just I was crying and I just walked forward and it was the scariest thing that I've ever done
but I'm so glad that I did it and that's kind of like what the my Gap year was was just saying yes to God and like you saying yes to the crazy,
and because all my life I said no and I've been I was like held back with this burden of and this heaviness in this way of just,
constantly saying no to God,
and when I finally just opened my heart and I was like okay God I I'm your servant and if I'm really going to be surrendered to you I have to be surrendered to you in my life is your life and I just use me
and so I got on that plane and I got over there and mind you I never met these people before I hadn't met these people I know I'm kind of like jumping all over the.
I never met these people before I just knew them through like a family friend and yeah it was.

Sarah:
[17:42] Walk us through it so you fly it was it just one flight.

Erika:
[17:44] Yes it was straight through - right there so it well there was like 11 and a half so a straight-through flight by myself.

Sarah:
[17:53] Never done international flights.

Erika:
[17:55] Right well I had been overseas before but nothing like that okay and I'd always been with people
like with a team of people and I was by myself and it was definitely scary and I remember sitting at the airport before I got on the flight and
something somebody was doing something I was texting my sister's like I'm gonna die like I'm not even gonna get over there and I'm gonna die in this airport and she's like you're fine.
So I go and I get my luggage and that was a scary thing in itself because I landed everything's in a different language like any other place I'd been but
for like everything was in English or is really touristy like this was not and I had my two huge 50-pound suitcases,
and my 30 pound backpack and I'm like sweating bullets and I'm like I'm so exhausted I'm working my way through like one of the biggest airports in the world I think that's what they said it was and I was like
I knew what they looked like I knew who I was looking for but it's still one it's a crowd of people I'm like okay what did they didn't show up what if they're not legit and I'm just stuck here,
and I remember seeing them and I was like oh praise God like you're so good and it was just I was there and I just felt at peace and that's how I know that that was just,
the holy spirit that was God and he gave me that opportunity and yes like there was awkwardness like you know being in someone's home like moving in and you don't really know them but honestly there was never a time that I didn't feel like they're family.

[19:21] And the lady that I stayed with she was just awesome and she's like the older version of me and so it was just like a mother daughter relationship,
and that was so great and I learned so many lessons like through that like just saying yes to God is so awesome and it's so rewarding and he pushes you in ways that like you don't think that you could be pushed,
do it
and even things like I never wanted to travel and like people know like people that know me now like they're like yeah Erika Erika wants to travel like she's at like the Wonder lust version of the group you know and I never wanted to do that but God put that design my heart and and once he like tells us K this is what you're going to do exactly what I said like
he puts that desire in us and he makes us want it because we want him,
and that was like the biggest thing that I learned is just like yeah and then covid hit and so that was another thing in itself where I was like okay God you sent me all the way across the world and,
everything shut down.

Sarah:
[20:19] Back us up too tight so when when did you go to church what was the timeframe.

Erika:
[20:23] February sorry I'm late.

Sarah:
[20:24] No no it's okay no no you're doing it okay February okay yeah and then covid.

Erika:
[20:28] Yeah so I was initially supposed to be there February through May.
And so three months and I was longest time that I would have been like away from my family and and then covid hit and everything went on lockdown around March,
and there was a time in March where they were like okay well flights are starting to close borders are starting to close if you
if you stay here then you could potentially be here until the middle of June or late August and I was like oh,
this is great.

Sarah:
[21:06] How did you make that decision walk us because that's.
That's a big deal knowing I have supposed to be going home I'm over here what do I do and like the rest of the world right trying information was constantly changing it was hard to know exactly how severe are what we need to do how did you make the decision to stay.
And then what did your parents think about that I feel like.

Erika:
[21:26] Yeah yeah yeah I know that's a big part my parents played a key role in that it was
it was honestly the hardest point of my trip because it was like I was starting to get comfortable with everybody starting to get kind of like a routine down and then when they set that I was like
I wasn't just thinking about me and my family I was thinking about them like I'm in someone else's home and they've planned for me to be here until May but now I might be here until August and like
but I remember having a conversation with them and I was just so stressed out and so anxious about it and they were like we want you here like we want you to stand still,
August and if this is like if God puts you here until then like we want you to know that we want you here but no pressure like if you,
home you need to go home but we want you here and we love having you here so that made the decision easier to stay but there was a time and I shared this whenever we were on the panel was I was trying to make this decision I was trying to keep it to myself and not stress my mom about it,
out about it and and my dad was actually having heart surgery.

[22:34] And so that was like a stressful time in itself because I had no like I was all the way across the world is like okay well that's something really serious and if something happened like,
all the flights are close like cancelled I can't get home and
the day after my dad had surgery my sister went into emergency surgery for something and so my moms like
a husband One hospital and a daughter in another hospital one daughter overseas trying to find out if she can even come home or not and my brother was somewhere.

Sarah:
[23:05] Oh God.

Erika:
[23:06] It was just a lot of bouncing around,
and I remember there was a time of just like surrender and I was on the like this family that I was living with I was on there staircase and I just was crying and I remember having my hands and my hair and I was just like
I just was so stressed out and I was like God I'm so angry like I was almost angry at God because like why did you put me in this situation,
I have no control and it was like in a time where everyone is uncertain you're very uncertain because there's all these things that you can't control Erika,
I'm in control and I'm certain of this
and you need to have faith and you need to trust that I have everything can under control and you can't make your mom feel better you can't make your dad feel better you can't make your sister feel better only I can make them feel better
only I can make you feel better I'm the peace in this crazy storm and you need to let me take control because you cannot control it no matter how hard you try,
no matter if you got on a plane right now to st. Louis would you couldn't happen anyway like
you can't control this and it was just like this weight was lifted off my shoulder and I knew I needed to stay like somehow through that I just knew I needed to stay and.
Yeah it was that was a whirlwind and I'm so thankful that I did I ended up having to stay an extra month and again like there was stresses in that but it was just saying yes and being along for the ride and
yeah I definitely learned a lot I got a so good.

Sarah:
[24:34] It sounds like it I want to I want to come back because you said something when you were trying to make the decision and you to go and you're hearing from God and he felt like God was calling you to do something and you said every no one else seemed to be on board basically with that
I know that there's probably somebody listening who's struggling in the same way like knowing hey God's called me to do something maybe it's not to go overseas maybe it's just to start something newer,
or take this new job or quit a job or whatever it might be like and it's hard when we feel like God is calling us to do something but we don't feel like everybody else is believing us what kind of encouragement
would you give to somebody that's in the same spot same situation.

Erika:
[25:14] Yeah so something that one of my friends mom shared with me whenever I was deciding whether or not to take a gap year,
I was just like I am so anxious about this I feel like I should start school because everyone's telling me too but I have no idea what I would start school like don't know where I would go I don't know what I would major and and she just looked at me with so much grace in her eyes and she
Erika you don't have to start school right now,
you don't have to listen to what everybody else is doing you know whenever I like the major that I was going to stick with I wouldn't have used you know whenever I was your age and you have so much of the world ahead of you like it's and.
Okay I'm going to back up a little sorry.

Sarah:
[25:56] No that's okay you're.

Erika:
[25:57] I'm kind of like all these thoughts are running through my head but like she just all of her words just kind of like sank and she's like their Journeys not you're a.

Sarah:
[26:05] Mmm.

Erika:
[26:06] Your journey is your journey and you need to listen to God and one of the things that this lady that I watched her kids in Turkey,
and she's I love her so much I miss her I gained so much wisdom through her but she told me she goes one thing that I heard when I was your age was you you are right on time.
And I was like oh that's some good stuff right there,
because I watched as I was going through this time of taking a gap year not going to school my friends are getting engaged getting married having kids going to school like and I was over here like oh well,
I'm going to Turkey like.

Sarah:
[26:45] Talk that's hard.

Erika:
[26:46] You know it's crazy and hearing those words you're right on time and something that I would tell anyone who's listening is
you're right on schedule to the path that God has put you on and your journey is not your neighbors Journey
your experiences aren't going to be your friends experiences and that's okay and that's what's the beauty of it.
God has put us all on unique paths
and he's made us all so differently but in the image of him and not something like a thought that's one of my head a lot is
that's just shows how powerful goddess is yes we're all made in the image of him but we're all so different
and why do we spend so much time comparing ourselves to other people when we're so amazing like that's the uniqueness that God has put in our lives in the individuality and so yeah I would just say you're right on schedule,
and your journey is your journey and you just need to you know.
And one thing that God's been teaching me to is if you're not content with just Jesus you will never be content in your life yeah.

Sarah:
[27:50] Erika you could just preach all this all day those are so good you're right on time,
and I think you're so right like we lose so much we lose so much time and I think sometimes we miss out on so much of what God has uniquely for us
because like I said we're so busy looking around us instead of just looking up and it's hard we know that's it's it's way easier to say hey just look at Jesus
keep your eyes on him than it is to practically do that
because it is hard when your parents are family or people close in or like I don't they don't get it but I think as you've been sharing even in your story that there's so much peace found when it's
hey I'm stepping out in faith even when I don't even see really the step I'm stepping on but I'm going to do this because God's called it us to that and.
I love that so tell us what did your time in Turkey like what was some of the things that you would be doing like while you were there what was.

Erika:
[28:41] See ya so before covid hit the plan was I'd go and I would Nanny this family for three out of the five or yeah five days out of the,
quit again and then I would go to an International School,
with an so it this school is really cool I was in elementary school middle school and high school all put together,
with kids from all the way like all around the world it was awesome I loved it and so I was going to be going there one or two days I mean I ended up going a lot more just because of like covid and,
things got rescheduled and yeah and so I.

[29:21] So it's gonna be doing that on the elementary floor because I want to pursue Elementary education,
hopefully ESL so teaching English as a second language so I kind of shadowed the teacher just kind of helped on whatever I needed to do
but then covid hit and like the school shit down I was supposed to be volunteering with refugees but then again that got canceled because nobody wanted us in their homes,
because it's just a scary time and unknown time and so what it kind of ended up looking like was I was just a big sister to these two families I was with,
and they just kind of turned into my family and we were really forced to you know get along and to get to know each other and which I'm so thankful for because,
before I was just like constantly we were gogogogogo and we didn't get a lot of sit ties set down time together and so whenever covid hit and we were on true lockdown.

[30:14] We have truly believe like God had that plan for a reason because I was able to grow in so much wisdom and knowledge through that experience just like having more to sit down time to talk to them,
and to grow my relationships with the kids we played Just Dance a lot our goal was to do all the songs gold so we got most of them done,
finished it when I left but that's what we did and so it was just Subaru
like God has a plan for everything and it all worked out and but yeah I just looked like me being a big sister and then being my siblings and I kept them in tried to keep them entertained so that their parents could stay sane and yeah it was awesome.

Sarah:
[30:53] That's so cool tell us just because it's so interesting with covid Tom what did lock down there really I mean like was it very similar to he couldn't.

Erika:
[31:01] No I would say it was completely different so whenever I said we were in quarantine we were on lockdown like we were legit,
down so what it kind of looked like was if you were under 20 or over 65 you could not leave your house,
or your apartment building and so most people actually live in apartments I don't live in houses the two families I was with lived in houses so we had like a yard like a fenced-in gated yard it was small but it was a nice size I guess
perfect what for what we needed and and but most people lived in apartments in like you couldn't leave your building you couldn't even leave your apartment like your door,
and if you were in that age range where you could leave like everything was restricted still like you had to wear masks everywhere there was limited hours,
then they started to think towards the end where it was like Thursday to Sunday or Friday to Sunday dogs just depended everything shut down and nobody could leave their houses or apartments,
grocery stores were closed like the only things that we're close were or open were that's and hospitals and bakeries,
it's a very bread oriented.

Sarah:
[32:12] Gotta Have Bakery bread.

Erika:
[32:13] Right gotta have your doe ever enough for in the morning to make your bed but yeah everything was shut down and people would get fined and they they had a friend who they lived in an apartment building they didn't have a patio or anything.
And those kids didn't leave like they didn't get to go outside for 58 days.

Sarah:
[32:30] Wow oh my.

Erika:
[32:31] And so whenever I would hear people at home like back home be like oh yeah I'm in quarantine and they'd send people like pictures or post pictures like in Target with masks on them like you are not in court.

Sarah:
[32:42] You're like I don't know what quarantine that's a different kind of quarantine wow.

Erika:
[32:44] You are not going to like their ordering food everyday like going outside and like you don't even know what lockdown is like it just really showed me to be appreciative for what I had,
and to just let yeah I mean there was definitely times where I got super mad at people back home because I was like if you only knew what it was like in other countries.
Like but yeah it was it was completely different but I mean it wasn't the worst thing that could have happened I mean it's pretty bad but it could have been worse.

Sarah:
[33:13] Well good perspective that's a great great perspective on it so you came back home and then what is life looking like right now for you.

Erika:
[33:21] Yeah I came back home and I kind of just been doing a whole lot of nothing honestly I've been working some at the coffee shop I think something that God's been telling me to do in these
months leading up to me going to school is just serving as many people as possible and putting myself in situations where I necessarily wouldn't,
want to be put in you know just like but saying yes to things and being very intentional with my time even though I necessarily don't have a job which I actually start my new job,
tomorrow or Tuesday I started Target I'm excited about that.

Sarah:
[33:59] I think that's so fun I told you that I've been told me that Mike I would never make any money though.

Erika:
[34:03] Kind of scared.

Sarah:
[34:04] All my money on fall things.

Erika:
[34:06] I'm kind of scared not gonna lie.

Sarah:
[34:07] You can do it save your money.

Erika:
[34:08] Discount to so but yeah I just I like to write so I've been trying to write more to spending time in the word.
Just being intentional which is definitely something I failed out a lot because I mean you're home all day so it's like really nice to stay up later than sleeping,
the yeah I just like going on adventures with friends and saying yes to things and again just being intentional with my time spending time with family which I don't really I fail at that to spending time with family because I'm always on the go go go.

Sarah:
[34:39] Yeah so I want to hear about this writing what is that what.

Erika:
[34:42] Yes I have a Blog so I had a Blog a while ago but
then like it would just wasn't set up very well and so my friend started she kind of designed a new one for me and I was really good about writing like a lot and then I stopped kind of when I came home just because I
hit like a writer's block.
Um but yeah and then I started my goal is to finish a book by the time I'm 21 so by next year so I started that I have let's kind of like in the.

Sarah:
[35:11] This is a man I wish you could see the face I'm giving Erika right now huh.
37 and have not ever like nothing close to that that.

Erika:
[35:18] Like ya know I really like to write - again that's like the artistic side of me I just yeah I like to write things and whether it's good or not I don't really know but.

Sarah:
[35:33] You know what that's the thing with creativity is
hear what God gets to be the judge of it if we're doing it to bring him glory and using the creativity that he put in each and every one of us there's always going to be critics but you know what if that's the only reason you do stuff then we would never none of us will ever do stuff which is
why a lot of us don't because sometimes those voices are really loud so can all of our friends on listening right now find your blog like is that something do,
steer blog.

Erika:
[35:59] I'm trying to think as I give someone my old Blog the other day and I was really embarrassed like a whole wait that's my old one so I believe it's a it's a little bit of spunk at wordpress.com little bit of.

Sarah:
[36:10] Little bit of spunk at WordPress and we can verify that and we'll put it in the show notes so people can find it but little bit of smoke okay and then okay you're writing a book do we can you tell us anything about the is it top secret is there like a is it a fiction nonfiction.

Erika:
[36:24] Really it's just kind of like stories you know from my life and things that I've learned in the last 20 years because you know learn so much in 20 years.

Sarah:
[36:33] You know what don't let anybody look there's that versus says don't let anybody look down on you because you're young and set the way and that's so so true because I think there's so much to all of us that are older than you can learn from listening to people younger than us so,
I've already learned a lot from our conversation is so good.

Erika:
[36:51] Yeah so I'm excited I mean not many people know that but I'm not like I don't hide it like people actually like because then it's like once you tell people you're doing something you actually have to do it and why,
it's because they're like so how's that going oh it's going great but my goal is like to have half of it done while I was overseas and then
just like I would write something and then I would just erase it all I think I got like three chapters and I just erased it all because God just gave me a different vision,
but I'm a very like Spazzy person until like I have a million thoughts all in one head as you probably established.

Sarah:
[37:22] Yeah no Erika your.

Erika:
[37:26] But like I overthink everything I overanalyze everything and I just have so many ideas but it's really hard for me to like implement,
and not like overwhelm myself and so that's kind of just like the idea that I have behind writing.
Is just things that God has put on my heart to do and like how I've either like failed at them but then also like taking that failure taking it to the Lord,
it's like redeem that and then like how I just handle being you know having a thousand thoughts in my head all at once and the lessons that God has taught me and just different stories so yeah that's kind of the idea behind it.

Sarah:
[38:05] I can resonate with that because I often have the Thousand thoughts in my head at one time so we're I'm tracking with you great I don't know if it know everybody is you're doing it
awesome job so Erika I want to ask you so you've talked several times about just hearing God and so I think it's so important because I feel like God is he's always speaking to us and I think a lot of times we do think it's supposed to be like this Audible Voice or,
sometimes you're going to know and so I'm always really intrigued like what when you talk about hearing God what is how do you hear from God for you how does he speak to you in your life.

Erika:
[38:36] Yeah so once or that pops into my head I might start crying but.

[38:42] But it was back in my senior year of high school I was doing Spanish class with this
awesome lady at our church that are we met through our church and it's the Spanish class like started with a few of us and then like everybody kind of dropped out and then it was just me so it's kind of like a private tutor War
say I love that homeschool life but we would meet like,
almost every weekend at my house or at the coffee shop that I work at and we would have conversation and she teach me Spanish
it it was like all during that time were like God was putting
you know going overseas on my heart and I just did not deal with it I hadn't shared it with anybody and like going to Africa and I had always had that desires before Uganda and I'd always had the desire to go to Africa I just didn't know what that was going to look like and I
I didn't know why I wanted to go I just wanted to go and and.

[39:33] I had read this book called Kisses for Katie and it's about this girl who is like 19 and she wanted to go to Uganda and she moved over there and she like started this whole,
like organization and has adopted all these girls and it's awesome and so that like inspired me was like I'm gonna go to Uganda
but again like I hadn't really shared that with anyone and so I'm sitting down with my Spanish teacher,
and I was just kind of like really discouraged and I think she saw that and at the time I wanted to go into psychology to be a Christian counselor at a high school,
I got a Christian High,
and that's the kind of like that's where I wanted to go with like a music minor and somehow I was trusting that God would like but those two things together and I just remember sitting there with her and I was like I just.

[40:19] Don't see myself doing that like I don't see myself being behind a desk all day like that's a great job,
I just don't know if that's for me I feel like I can help people in that way but like not doing that,
because at the time I was working for a counselor and I would like as I sticker as a secretary and I was just so much paperwork it's like I cannot do this for the rest of my life.
I respect the people that like can do that but I cannot do that and she just looked at me and she like put her she like put her book down and she said back in her chair and she was like Erika you are not a desk person and I was like you're so right and.
And she was like I see you in Africa and I was like what.

Sarah:
[41:01] That's crazy.

Erika:
[41:02] And she was like I see you in Africa with a bunch of little African babies ministering to them and.
Spreading the love of God and that's what I see you doing and I was just like,
I just was so awestruck by that because I had never shared that with.

Sarah:
[41:21] Yeah yeah.

Erika:
[41:21] One and for someone that like knew me but didn't really know me to say that to me I was like that has to be God,
and it was just like different things like that like not necessarily like God slapping me in the face with something or like Whispering something in my ear but like using other people too
like do different things like that
say different things like that to me but that was like the biggest thing and I knew in that moment I was like okay this is for real I need to take this serious like this is a desire that God is putting on my heart and even though it's not necessarily my desire in this moment
will be and I just need to say yes to that but that was a big one.

Sarah:
[41:57] That's great that's what's a really good example so listening to the sometimes God uses other people to kind of help push us in the right direction are sometimes to confirm what we already feel like he's telling us to do and just kind of nudge us along
I love it okay Erika do you have any other stories you want to share with us or anything else you want to talk.

Erika:
[42:16] Goodness like what kind of story.

Sarah:
[42:18] I don't know I've got one other thing I for sure when I asked you about because,
I think you as we've been talking as I heard that before you've had some great people in your life that are a little further along that kind of mentored you and then you've been pouring into some people younger than you,
do you want to just talk a little bit about that and what that's look either with fear I know you're doing some stuff with Fearless teens and then it sounds like you're just kind of hanging out with some younger people anyway.

Erika:
[42:43] So I had my senior year,
school there was some girls that I so I let us ba group for our youth group and God did not put anyone in my age and that small group that were girls that he just put a bunch of freshmen girls and I was like really Godly I thought this was like I thought you were putting me in this so I could meet people my age because like no
that's not why I put you in this you need to Mentor these girls and you need to pour into them because you remember what it's like to be that age and you didn't have anyone like that,
and I was like well I'm not good enough to do that and he's like you're not but I am and so I was like okay gotta kill argue with that and so just ever since then God is giving me a heart for girls Ministry
which that was never my thing because I just cannot stand girls because it's just so much drama,
but yeah I remember being in middle school and high school and just looking up to girls that were in,
you know either in college or young adults and like most of them just didn't want to have anything to do with me and so,
because I mean Riley still like it's just a different season of life and and so I that was like my goal going into my junior senior years I didn't want to make girls feel like that I wanted them to give them like a big sister like I,
them to know like I'm not too good for you and.
So yeah just one thing that I'm going to be doing hopefully soon I keep putting it off but I've been reading the book called Radiant by Priscilla Shirer.
Sarah:
[44:08] Okay.

Erika:
[44:09] And so I've gotten a couple girls or if you girls together we're going to go through that just together to talk through and there's again like,
there's so much Beauty and like talking to people younger than you because like I find so much wisdom through them,
and they're like what and I'm like yes like you have so much wisdom to give and that's why I want that's why I like hanging out with you guys and.
I seen what you have to say because God speaking to you in ways that he's not speaking to me and that's why it's good to have community,
but yeah that's definitely a heart that God's given he's like girls Ministry and mentoring the younger girls and although I fail at it a lot because again I have all these ideas,
like implementing them is like really hard for me but I Fearless teens I'm super excited we have some awesome stuff and store it that's coming up in the next couple of months I'm really excited about it so.

Sarah:
[45:01] That's awesome well I think any time any of us listening sometimes we think it has to be this formal plan to like Mentor someone and
I really like like you said just it was your teacher that you were randomly talking to and then the lady now you are living in her house but you just never know how God's going to use you,
to say something at just the right time and so us just continuing being available for whatever that is that's mentorship I mean it's just saying the right thing at the right time and you never know how God is going to use that which is,
awesome and scary all the same time no.

Erika:
[45:33] Well and I think one more thing is like a lot of people think to be a mentor like you have to be mentors to be like someone like
way off you know way older than you and everybody like that's not the case like to teach someone a they say this like in tutoring you just have to be one step ahead of
someone and so like there's things that someone who's 15 is more mature in their walk with God or like more mature in life than I am and so I can learn from them there are
step ahead and not area of their life and like one thing that I lie that I listened to was I wasn't worthy and what I had to say did not matter,
and that is such a lie from the devil because what we have to say does matter and it specifically like when it comes from God like it does matter and and it has a purpose and so when the Holy Spirit puts something on your heart you just gotta say it,
you have to be bold and that's something I fail a lot I kind of just like going my little shell I'm just like I'm not gonna say that,
but like you just you have to say like you need to say because you don't know who needs to hear it and the Lord is putting that on your heart because someone needs to hear it,
n
so yeah that's a big thing like to say it just tell everyone who's listening like you are worthy and your words have a purpose and you have a purpose because God is giving you that purpose so just listen to that and leading to God,
yeah.

Sarah:
[46:51] That's so good Erika that is definitely wisdom and I know a lot of people are listening right now
learning and being encouraged by you and I think in the season where covid tried to isolate all of us I think our words are even more important in a time that's just filled with a lot
of things across the board is choosing to use words for life and to build other people up is just huge and God can use that and so many amazing ways.
Okay Erika so the show is called now that something good so do you have something good that you want to share with it can be an evil ready shared a lot of good things but like.

Erika:
[47:30] Oh my God.

Sarah:
[47:30] It could be anything I mean there's no.

Erika:
[47:34] Like Frozen and I can't think of anything.

Sarah:
[47:36] I'm sorry I didn't prep her with the question ahead of time.

Erika:
[47:39] I'm trying to think I mean.

Sarah:
[47:41] A good story to share good and it really literally can be.

Erika:
[47:44] I don't know I'm trying to think of product.

Sarah:
[47:45] Product you like a I don't know.

Erika:
[47:49] Oh my goodness I would try to think one thing about me is like one of my really good friends is told me like shit,
you just say the weirdest stories like they don't even have anything to do with things but I've noticed that like I'll just like tell these random stories like oh one time this happened and then everybody like looks at me I'm like,
that didn't make sense that didn't go with what we were talking about I thought I went with my work.

Sarah:
[48:11] Hey I love it do you have a random story you want to share.

Erika:
[48:18] I mean we kind of talked about like the most embarrassing thing.

Sarah:
[48:21] Yeah I didn't go back in that okay.

Erika:
[48:22] I feel like we got to be real about that but like I should share this story so I was a baseball field and Hawk Point Missouri I always tell it like it was in Moscow Mo's Bows and Hawk Point Missouri and I had watch its weight.

Sarah:
[48:36] Hawk Point? okay

Erika:
[48:38] The way out here and so I was at the baseball field and I walked in with so I guy friends and I watched him go into the bathroom and so I don't know why, something in my head that just like Associated that door is the bathroom.
Because I want I watch some go in and so we sit down and I'm like watching all play bat baseball and I got up because I had to go the bathroom obviously.
And I like walked in the door this has literally nothing to do with the word talking about but I walked in the door,
and I was like this is not look right like this is not a woman's bathroom but my first instinct was not to turn around and leave like it was just like I was just so confused cuz like,
there's your nose in here like maybe it's like a gender-neutral.
And so then then it was like it all clicked in my head like 10 seconds later I walked in the wrong restroom.

Turn around and luckily nobody was in there I turned around close the door and I was like wow that just happened and this old old man.
Who worked at the baseball field looks to me was like so what kind of trouble you caused an in there and I was like oh no.
Sir no sir I promise I just walked in the wrong.

Sarah:
[49:51] An honest mistake.

Erika:
[49:52] And he was like okay you're just trying to cause trouble.

Sarah:
[49:56] No

Erika:
[49:58] No sir so yeah.

Sarah:
[50:01] Okay that definitely is a good embarrassing moment I don't think we ever I told her before we hit record I was like well we could just always if I run out of things to talk about I just ask you for your most embarrassing moment so that's good I mean that is a I mean I don't know if you would call that a good.

Erika:
[50:15] No I really have somebody answer that because I absolutely what's the most embarrassing day and I couldn't think of anything they asked me and I was like well,
my whole life is just embarrassing me like I'm just an awkward person and I embarrass myself I just don't know I'm trying to think of the most embarrassing thing is really hard but.

Sarah:
[50:33] Well learning to laugh about it right now is something good and I have not experienced you to be awkward at all so.

Erika:
[50:38] Okay that's good that's good that's good.

Sarah:
[50:41] You've done great. there's your something good well it got thank you so much for coming on our show and sharing.

Erika:
[50:49] Thanks for having me.