Don't Let Your Hula Hit the Flo'

Seeing that it is now Saturday night and I still have not talked about Getaway, this blog is long overdue. However, I must say I have been very busy since my return. I unpacked and repacked the same bag the next day I got back because I had to catch a plane on Sunday to Pittsburgh, PA. Many of you may be wondering why Pittsburgh, it's not exactly the first place that comes to my mind when I think of "summer vacation"; however, I am interning with Silver Ring Thing for the week and their headquarters is here in Pitt. For those of you that don't know what Silver Ring Thing is, check it out (www.silverringthing.com) it's pretty much the bomb.com. Now, onto the purpose of this blog.

Getaway this year came and went before I could blink. For those of you that don't know, Getaway is a Student Venture retreat at Myrtle Beach, SC. It is always such an incredible experience; Tenth Avenue North is always the band and the speakers are always inspiring. This year brought many surprises and things I had no anticipated. Little did I know I was going to have strep throat for two days - starting on Monday night. It included a trip to the Minute Clinic - and it was there that the sweetest nurse helped me and I owe my speedy recovery largely to her. I must admit, I was extremely frustrated and discouraged because I wanted to have an encounter with God and experience Him like I do every year at Getaway and I felt as if I could not do that. However, God spoke to me in the most mysterious ways that exceeded my expectations that I would not have known had I been well. On the last night, the room was filled with the ecstatic cries of 600 students repeating "He loves me, Oh how He loves me". The reflection of the guitar was the only light that crept through my closed eyes. And when I opened them, nearly every hand was raised; it was such a beautiful moment, one that I will not forget for a very long time. I was also able to learn about the hearts of some of my best friends, who have incredible stories which I did not know before the retreat. I was so overwhelmed with God's love and His incredible power to change anyone. The fact my friend wants to use her past failures to impact others in the future is so encouraging to me. If only I had that kind of faith.

In addition to the wonderful fellowship I had with God, I also had an incredible time with my roommates: Megan Stahl, Makena Cummings, and Jaclyn Gerardot. On the last night, we got ready and had an hour to spare so we went "exploring". I came up with the idea that we should simply ride the elevators with our 5 pound bag of Sour Patch Kids and see where it took us. In the process we not only finished off the entire bag, but also made many new friends. We also discovered that elevators can get very hot when there are a lot of people in them...common sense, wouldn't you think?

God also showed me a verse from Isaiah 6:7-8: "Look. This coal has touches your lips. Gone your guilt, your sins wiped out. And then I heard the voice of the Master; 'Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?' I spoke up, 'I'll go. Send me'!" I could not have asked for a more clear sign, I am willing to go where ever God calls, but the question is where is that? I hope to find out more pieces to the puzzle of my life as the summer progresses.