What I Never Knew I Needed ::: Pursuit 31 Conference

Have you ever yawned and had your ears pop and suddenly you can hear 10 times better or clearer and you had no idea your hearing was distorted in the first place. That’s kind of how I could describe my week with Pursuit 31, I got everything I needed and more without knowing I needed something.

I had the opportunity to spend 4 days on my own in a place I had never been, Rome, Georgia at the Winshape Retreat Center, with 100 girls I didn’t know, but knew all too well.

It’s amazing how God’s plans work and how the enemy will try to do anything in his power to stop them BUT like my pastor always says, No one can stop what God has already set in motion.

Getting to the retreat center was rough. My flight landed too late to catch a limo provided by Pursuit 31. The shuttle service I called before leaving Virginia said they didn’t have a 2:30pm ride and that I would have to wait until 5:30 for a shuttle. Did I mention that the airport was about an hour and a half away from the retreat site and dinner was at 6?! I get to the Atlanta airport and I think there is a car waiting for me only to get outside to the shuttle area and see the shuttle has left and I’m stuck in the misty rain and cold with flip-flops and a hair-do that quickly turned from curls to an afro (Not that I have anything against afros, it just wasn’t in my plan). Thankfully I have a “don’t mess with me” mom and the shuttle made a turn around and picked me up.

I finally got to the retreat center only to see everyone leaving dinner and heading into the place where worship was going to be. My spirit was down for about 2 seconds until I looked up and saw a Retreat staff member run towards me. He greeted me with a huge smile and insisted that I wasn’t late but I was right on time. He walked me to registration, then to my room, then to the dinner hall where they refilled everything on the buffet so that I could have my choice of whatever I wanted and made up a table just for me. I finished up and walked across to where worship was and realized I didn’t miss a thing. The first song they sang was “How He Loves Us” and I was hit with the truth that God’s love is a powerful thing. It’s something that I knew but to experience it with my life was something different. Though it was a difficult journey getting there, I made it and God was about to do something big!

I was out of my comfort zone all week and yet I found I was comfortable. I laughed, I shared, I cried, I danced, I started conversations, I sat with different people every lunch, dinner, and session, and I felt as though I belonged. I sat and listened to the very photographers and business women I admired and looked up to talk about their dreams, failures, insecurities, and victories all wrapped in the love for the Lord. I was inspired without even knowing inspiration was needed.

I learned new things about me when I thought I knew myself enough. And I must tell you that even if breakfast is free, I probably won’t go if it ends before 10am.

That week in Rome, Georgia (you have to say that with a southern accent) was more than just a conference for photographers. It was ministry. One of my small group girls called it Jesus Boot camp for Photographers. Walls were torn down that I never knew were standing. Chains of bondage where loosed when I thought I was free. My eyes were opened when I thought I was seeing the whole time. Greater was unleashed when I thought I was fine just where I was.

Greater… Greater can be a scary place but it’s a place that I find myself running to now that I’m home. Now that I’m home I haven’t lost that spark, that fire, it has actually intensified. I believe God. I trust God. My hope is in God.

I can do this, we can do this with the Jesus Christ as the foundation.

So here I am, exactly a week from the time I can home and kissed my babies little faces, ready.

Ready to experience all that God has for me. Ready to get out of the micromanaging God business and ready to just trust Him and all that He is.

I’ve gained a community of new sisters, an awesome free website for a year, and inspiration to last me a lifetime.

I’m so thankful and overwhelmed with the love of God.