Regan Kelly said:
In the midst of an ever changing world, 300 students along with Pastors, teachers, mentors, and friends, from all across the state of Missouri, decided to break away from daily life and gather together under one roof and for one God. The place? Tan-Tar-A, Osage Beach, Missouri. The occasion? Getaway 2007.
38 fun-loving students, myself included, from Missouri State and OTC, traveled together to experience a God-filled weekend amongst our peers. In almost no time at all the vans, we had traveled in, approached our destination. I could feel the excitement grow and bubble all throughout the van. I couldn’t help but feel a little of it myself. “This is it. This is what people have been talking about for the past several weeks.”
Soon we were gathered together with the others and the worship began. When the music started I began to feel the usual pulse in my core that only music can bring. The whole room was filled with praise for the one and only God of the universe. It went on like that for several hours, worshiping, praying, laughing, listening and conversing with God. It didn’t matter that we didn’t finish until 11 pm or that the students from the BSU stayed up and kept talking together until 1 am.
The next day as our group split up and we each decided which sessions we were going to, I realized that I was getting out of my comfort zone. I didn’t care if I wasn’t with all of my friends. I was okay with going to each session by myself, because in all actuality I wasn’t alone. I was there with and for God, and so was everyone else. It’s an amazing feeling when you remember what it feels like to never walk alone.
Saturday night was one of the most spirit-filled nights I’ve had in a long time. I had been stagnant and holding on to things that I hadn’t realized I had been holding on to so tightly. That night helped me shake off the rock on my shoulders and remember that no matter what went on in my life God would be taking care of everything. I was literally flying. I still am. I smile and laugh more. I’m a little more upbeat in everyday life, and I know that it’s because I have a better grasp on God and what he wants for my life. I have great friends that will help me and hold me accountable. I will never have to walk alone.
Kayla Cook said:
"Overall, it was a good wake-up call for all of us. The main speaker was Thomas Young, he has a Web site called thomasyoung.com, and he was very honest. One of his quotes was "Life is a mission trip, and you should be mission-trippin' all the time." We really learned what it means to be a disciple. Jesus only had 12 guys following him, and he invested time in each of them. We learned that instead of spreading ourselves so thin, that if we invest in just a few people's lives it will make a huge impact if they disciple others. It was a big freeing worship experience. I think a lot of us got to that point of letting go and worshipping God without holding back and being ashamed and thinking about what other people thought of us. It was a good, relaxed spiritual vacation. Just worshiping God without it being hard. In the 'real world' there are a lot more challenges and here we didn't have to worry about things. It was a good place to learn and worship and not feel pressured to be everything to everyone. I just belonged to Jesus and I didn't have to be a student or an employee. I wasn't responsible to anyone but Jesus. I was just there to be a worshiper."
Keep watching for more posts from students on their experiences from Getaway and other
activities here at the BSU.
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