This month I went on my fifth retreat to Valle Crucis. As usual it was a time to center myself, spend time with friends and get closer to God. When we prepare for Valle Crucis the spiritual aspect is often forgotten among the packing and excitement about the candy store or where we are going to sit on the bus. However, as soon as I get up the mountain and sit in a rocking chair to look at the gorgeous view, I can immediately feel God's presence around me. Throughout the weekend we focused on the same question we asked ourselves on Mission Trip that summer, "What kind of world do you want?" It was a great way to think back to July and how compelled we were by the song 'World' by Five for Fighting. We were asked to focus on what kind of world we want for our school, our family, our church and ourselves.
When we returned to Gastonia it was time to get our homework done and catch up on sleep to get ready for the school week. It has been two weeks since the retreat, and it's always a challenge to keep yourself in the same mindset you had on the retreat. However, the prayer journals we made that weekend have really helped me to take some time out of each day to reflect on how I', molding my world into what God wants it to be. After all, "history starts now."
Megan Mallonee
