The POINT Women's Retreat

Last weekend Point University had its very first women's retreat. Once a month we have an all-girls bible study called "The POINT" (it was named this before the school name became Point U). This month we traded our Thursday night bible study for a weekend away. Thirty girls went on the free retreat. We spent the night at Spring Road Christian Church in Lanett, Alabama (the city between West Point and our new apartments in Valley). All night long we snacked and hung out. Natalie Braden, President Collins daughter, was our speaker. She spoke about guys and God (exactly what every college girl needs to hear!!). Natalie also gave us a list of things that she wishes every college girl knew:

1. Go to Counseling for a year to get to know yourself. (Point has a free counselor)
2. Stop trying to find the right person. Be the right person.
3. If you believe that God exists then STOP playing God.
4. Develop a healthy relationship with your body. Stop counting calories. It will steal your joy. God made food to be enjoyed.
5. Encourage One Another.
6. Start doing things you are passionate about NOW!
7. Date in Groups.
8. Guard your heart. Don’t tell your deepest secrets to a guy unless you are married.
9. Find a Mentor. Be a Mentor.
10. Just relax.
11. Be Confident. You have a relationship with the Creator of the world.

Then we split into small groups to discuss what we had just heard. Yes, we all see each other every day in the dorms and around campus, but there was something about us being away from our everyday lives for a little bit with no distractions that helped us get to know each other so much better.



The next morning we woke up and volunteered for Spring Road's ALaGa FliBy Race. We broke into groups of two or three and stood on the corners along the 10.2K and 5K route encouraging and directing the runners. We all wore reflective vests for safety and a couple very lucky ladies got to be prisoners for the day! I was standing with student Lakeisha Courtney in front of a beautiful 100 year old house. The owner of the home, Cathy Aiken, came out and began talking to Lakeisha and me. She brought us fruit snacks and offered us water. I am blown away by the love and generosity I experience every time I go to Point University’s new home. After the race, Mrs. Cathy gave Lakeisha and me a tour of the new Point Academic Center (which you can see at Open House on April 14th). Mrs. Cathy also gave Lakeisha and me her phone number and insisted that we call her if we ever need anything. Mrs. Cathy is just a little glimpse of the remarkable community we are about to join. I cannot wait to move to a place where the people genuinely care about Point University students.

For lunch, we had planned on having frozen lasagnas, but at 10 am all of the electricity in the entire county went out. Lunch was a delayed a little and another generous community member, Mary Susan Underwood, allowed us to take the lasagnas to her house (in the next county) to prepare them. While we were waiting on lunch some girls just relaxed and napped and the rest of us took a tour of West Point. After lunch we headed back to campus.

The retreat was incredible. The relationship building that took place and the advice that Natalie gave have already had a tangible impact on my life. I cannot wait until we can do this again and continue to transform Point University women into incredible leaders for Christ.