Saturday, September 17, 2016

Brave--Camp, Song, and Re-Entry

Wow! Life has been so busy lately I haven't made time to blog about some amazing things I've been experiencing and learning lately. School is in full mode again, and life is moving along pretty fast. I want to stop and reflect on things before I head into next week, which will be full of new experiences that change my life too. *grin*

So, one week ago Thursday I left home for Brave Gal Camp. It was my church's women's retreat, and I was nervous and excited all at the same time. It was just outside of Joplin, in Quapaw, Oklahoma at a retreat center that is a camp-like setting. Before we left they talked about cabins and such, so I wasn't sure how much we would be roughing it. *grin* Come to find out, we didn't rough it at all. We were in rooms that were dorm-style, and I was pretty much blown away by the whole setup of the place.

It reminded me so much of camp, but I was a camper. *giggle* Obviously, it wasn't Barnabas, but it was fun to go and be ministered to for a couple days. I didn't have ANY responsibilities, and it was fun to laugh, worship, and play games with some amazing women of God. I didn't get close to any one gal, but I got to know several of the women's life stories, which meant the world to me.

It was one of those weekends where words can't describe the things I thought and felt. I can say I feel closer to God than I've felt in a while. For that, I feel differently then I did before September 8. *grin* That meant more to me than you will ever know.

The song, "You Make Me Brave" by Amanda Cook, has kind of been my theme song for the past year, so it was an amazingly impactful weekend for me. It was so amazing that the retreat theme was Brave during a season when I needed just that. Fear has been a constant for me in my life, so to gain knowledge and perspective on being brave daily made me grin. So good. *grin*

Do. It. Scared.
My favorite new phrase that I gained from the weekend. *grin*

They talked about re-entry on Saturday morning, and how it can be rough. This is so true because every time I've had an amazing mountain-top experience, I've had some challenges coming back. However, we prayed over it several times, and I had the best re-entry ever.

When I walked in my classroom this week, one of the little guys I serve ran up to me and put his arms around me. He held on, I won't ever forget that, how he held on when he hugged me. For me, that was a reminder that even though this school year is hard, I'm supposed to be there. I didn't doubt that, but sometimes God gives me those nudges to encourage me. That's what that hug meant.

The week was full of other events, good and bad. However, it was smoother because of the weekend at Brave Gal Camp. This coming weekend I have a conference at my friend's church in Springfield. Truthfully, it's hard to miss work, but it will be worth it.

Totally.

*grin*

Thank You, God.
Life.
Is.
Awesome.

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